


Escaping the Past Isn't Easy

by CatEyesCaro



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Alec Lightwood Deserves Nice Things, Alec gets out of prison, Alec-Circle Member, Bottom Magnus Bane, Gang-AU, Light BDSM, M/M, Mafia-AU, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Protective Alec Lightwood, Smut, Tattoos, Top Alec Lightwood
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-07
Updated: 2019-02-12
Packaged: 2019-03-28 08:28:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 28,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13900194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatEyesCaro/pseuds/CatEyesCaro
Summary: Alec found himself joining the Circle, an underground criminal organization when he is 18. Following in the footsteps of his parents who are prominent members, the Circle leads him to a violent start into adulthood.He is convicted of felony assault at the age of 20 and ends up serving 5 years in Prison. When he gets released he tries his best to start over and separate himself from that hateful and violent underground world he used to live in.Alec meets Magnus and realizes that there is more to life than what he thought and that he intends to fight for it.





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 

Izzy turned over when she heard the familiar sound of the alarm clock going off. She was so excited for her first day at Alicante Magazine that her head was spinning with excitement. Her first job in the industry fashion, she had worked so hard for this day to come.

 

She tried to hit the silence button quickly before it woke up Simon up but he was such a light sleeper. Her boyfriend groaned as he was waking up, “Morning beautiful. How do you feel about today?”

 

Izzy leaned over to give him a quick kiss on the lips, “I’m so excited and nervous, I don’t know, it’s a weird mix. I’ve been up for a while thinking about how it’s going to go!”

 

Simon smiled at his girlfriend of almost 2 years now, she had worked so hard in school, he knew that this job meant the world to her. “You’re gonna do amazing, you’ll probably be running the place in a few months.”

 

Izzy was so happy to have Simon in her life, he was such an amazing person, so sweet and loving. She really never thought she would be with someone like Simon, growing up like she did, she always assumed her life would turn out differently, but she was so thankful that things had turned out this way.

 

Well, she was glad that they had for her anyway, she always wishes things were this simple for all the members of her family.

 

Simon rolled out of bed and threw on some clothes, “Iz, head into the bathroom and do your fashionista thing that always amazes me and when you come out I’ll have an awesome first-day breakfast ready.”

 

Izzy trailed after him for another kiss, “Thank you, thank you, my love. It’s already the best day ever if I get to spend the morning with you.”

 

Izzy walked into her closet, she had planned out her outfit weeks ago after finding out she had gotten the job. She was going to wear a pair of boots that would no doubt give her the attention she was looking for, she wanted all her new colleagues to know that she was a force to be reckoned with in the fashion world.

 

 

~~~~~~

 

 

Jace knew that it was Izzy’s big day today, and wanted to make sure he called her and wished her luck.

 

He joined Clary at the table, handing her a cup of coffee as she read the morning paper.

 

“I’m gonna call Iz quickly to wish her luck. Want me to put it on speaker phone?”

 

Clary’s eyes brightened up, “Oh yea! I cannot wait to hear what it’s really like at Alicante, I keep picturing like the perfect art department, a giant closet with every designer you could possibly imagine.”

 

Jace was well aware of what Clary imagined for this fashion magazine. The two had been gabbing about it almost every week when the two girls would get together for wine nights.

 

Jace shook his head and giggled at the enthusiasm of his girlfriend. He placed his phone in the middle of them on the table and hit Izzy’s name in his history.

 

**Izzy: Well hello! Did you call to wish me off on the first day!**

**Jace: Of course we did sis, good luck and we both can’t wait to hear how it all goes.**

**Clary: Jace is being way too underwhelmed about this! I’m so excited for you Iz, try and sneak pictures today and if not I’ll need a play by play in immense detail!**

**Izzy: I’m pretty sure it’s all I’ll be able to talk about for a while so you don’t need to worry about that Clary! I bet you’ll be sick of hearing about it in less than a week. Oh, and we should all go out this weekend!**

**Jace: That’s a great idea. Is Simon down for going out?**

**Izzy: Of course he is! Well, I’ll convince him that he is either way. I’m heading out soon, love you both and I’ll talk to you later today.**

Jace wasn’t sure if this was the right time to ask, but he needed to know if Izzy was getting the same emails from his parents as he was. He wanted to call Alec soon to talk with his brother about his options and he wanted to make sure that they were on the same page.

 

**Jace: Iz hold on! Before you go, have you…um… gotten any emails from mom and dad lately about Alec?**

**Izzy: Yes, unfortunately. Mom emailed me and asked if I knew where Alec was staying when he gets out next week. I gave her as vague an email back as I could, I didn’t want to give anything away that he’s staying with Simon and me.**

**Jace: Alright cool, yea I did the same thing. I think they’ll figure it out pretty quickly but I still think the most we can keep them apart the better. But hey, sorry to leave it on a heavy note. Go have fun on your first day!**

**Izzy: You know I don’t mind, especially when it comes to our big brother. Love you guys again, Bye!**

Jace was so thankful that his sister was trying to stay positive in all of this. When Alec’s release date was revealed they had immediately started to come up with a plan that would keep Alec out of trouble and on a better path.

 

Jace and Clary’s place was super small, and could only offer up a couch for guests. Luckily, when Simon and Izzy moved in together, Simon was adamant that they spend a little more and get a second bedroom.

 

Clary could tell that Jace had gotten lost in his thoughts over everything that was happening with his brother. Clary knew that Jace had an unconventional but when they met and fell in love she knew what kind of person he was on the inside.

 

“Hey,” she said while placing her hand on his own, “You and Izzy have been working so hard on a plan for Alec, he is lucky to have you both. It’ll all work out, I’ll be here to help you through it.”

 

Jace loved how supportive and level-headed Clary always was. When he told her the story of his family and what they were involved in, he thought for sure that she would run for the hills but instead, she stayed by his side and accepted that he had a complicated past.

 

“Thanks hun, I love you so much,” Jace replied. He loved that as an artist, Clary could make her own schedule, it made their relationship that much more spontaneous. Jace worked in private security therefore, his schedule was also pretty flexible.

 

He had the morning off and intended to use it wisely, Jace playfully scooped up Clary in his arms and whisked her off back towards their bedroom.

 

 

~~~~~~

 

 

Magnus was running late as usual that morning, he had stayed up half the night working on his own sketches. Whenever he got going on an idea it was hard for him to turn his brain off until his design came to life on the page.

 

He did his make-up as quickly as he could without sacrificing anything about the look he wanted to achieve. He had a meeting with the editor-in-chief of Alicante later and he was not planning on looking subpar.

 

Magnus had made it to the kitchen to fix himself and his cat, Chairman Meow breakfast. He wasn’t sure when his cat had gotten used to eating twice a day but now it was part of their routine, he didn’t have the heart to change it back.

 

He gave Chairman a quick scratch under the chin and headed out the door. He made it to his desk that morning with one minute to spare.

 

Magnus was about to take a moment for himself when he was quickly interrupted, he could hear the familiar clicking of her heels.

 

“Hey Magnus, the new girl starts today. Be a doll and show her the ropes, her desk is going to be next to yours,” Camille said coldly.

 

Why did he ever decide to engage in an office romance, he should have known that nothing good would come of it. Camille wasn’t his manager when they had started seeing each other but about halfway through their relationship, she was promoted over Magnus and things took a turn for the worst from there.

 

“I’d be delighted,” Magnus replied with a smile, making sure Camille knew that she hadn’t phased him. Camille had broken Magnus’s heart several and it took him a long time to get over it all.

 

Magnus had just gotten started on choosing the accessories for the next photo shoot when in walked a woman he could only hope was Isabelle Lightwood.

 

“Darling, please tell me you are Isabelle! Those boots are to die for, can you get me a pair,” he said with a smile.

 

The girl replied brightly, “Hi, yea I’m Izzy! And thanks, I was so excited to wear them today. I added the studs on the side myself to give them a little more flair.”

 

“Good intuition. Welcome to the team, I’m Magnus, also an assistant in the styling department, take a seat at your desk there and get settled. Our team will meet with the editor-in-chief later on today so you have some time to get acquainted with everything.”

 

Magnus watched as Izzy sat down at her desk for the first time, she looked incredibly excited to be here. She was moving her hands back and forth over her desk as if she wanted to remember everything about this moment. Magnus could already tell they were going to get along great.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 

Alec was startled awake at 5 A.M. as usual when the guards announced morning roll call. He got down from his bunk and stood at attention on the side of his cell along with his bunkmate.

 

He still couldn’t believe that this was his life sometimes, he would replay parts of his past and fantasize about making different decisions. Decisions that wouldn’t have landed him in prison for five years.

 

He knew he deserved to be here, he had been rightfully convicted of felony assault. He had done it, his life was going down a dangerous path then. Alec tried as hard as he could to avoid the Circle once he was inside Idris Correctional Facility but he quickly learned that things were just as corrupt inside as they were on the outside.

 

Alec did what he had to so that he seemed like he was still an obedient Circle soldier. That kept everyone else away from him under the protection of Aldertree who was leading the Circle in Idris after getting life without parole.

 

But Alec had a lot of time to think these last 5 years and he knew he didn’t want to deal with the Circle’s bullshit for much longer. He was too young to realize how wrong it all was back then, all he knew what his parents would say how proud they were of him.

 

Sometimes Alec wished he had different parents, ones that didn’t encourage him to join illegal underground crime rings that ultimately caused him to lose 5 years of his life. He had been talking to Jace and Izzy more on the phone lately, and they were trying really hard to convince him to stay away from his old life.

 

Alec was insistent that his siblings and family only visit him once a year, he didn’t want to be reminded of how much he was missing. Alec also didn’t want his siblings taking the time to drive up here to see him all the time, he knew they were both busy living their lives.

 

He was so proud of them for staying away from all of this, that was the only good that came from Alec being convicted, his siblings saw the consequences of being a part of his parent’s world and decided they would stay the hell away.

 

Alec knew that his siblings didn’t really understand the full extent of that world and how hard it will be for him to avoid it once he’s out. But he was damn sure going to try, he knew he didn’t want this anymore for his life and that he had made a lot of mistakes in the past.

 

The prison shrink had called it brainwashing, he said that Alec had been hearing things about his parent’s world since he was a child. He said they were intentionally molding him to follow in their footsteps. It saddened Alec to think that his parents were trying to manipulate him into their world, but he was even madder that he had actually fallen for it.

 

After working out in the yard, which he did every morning and sometimes more than once a day he went to shower. Showering was one of the things he was most looking forward too when he got out next week, he never had any issues with it while inside but showering never afforded you any privacy in prison and the conditions were pretty gross and the water was always slightly cold.

 

He was trying more and more this last month to separate himself from Aldertree and the other guys so he mostly read in his cell and tried to keep his head down. But he was on edge because he knew Aldertree was getting suspicious.

 

That afternoon he was paid a visit from Aldertree. “So Alec, have you contacted Sebastian yet, you know he’ll be excited to hear from you, knowing he is getting one of his best soldiers back next week.”

 

“Not yet, I think I’ll just wait to see him when I get out and figure things out in person,” Alec replied, hoping he wasn’t giving anything away. He had no intention of seeing Sebastian whatsoever.

 

Sebastian had been a big part of why Alec was in here in the first place, he knew his actions were his own but Sebastian was his partner back then and always encouraged him to be more ruthless and more violent, the man had an evil switch.

 

“Well, I made sure to reach out to him and let him know to look out for you on the other side so I’m sure he’ll be in touch soon,” Aldertree said with a sly smile. Alec is pretty sure that he knew he didn’t want Sebastian to know he was getting out.

 

Now Alec had to figure out how to deal with the Circle coming at him. He and his siblings thought that if they kept his whereabouts secret from his parents that he’d be able to avoid everything but now his old crew knew specifically when he was getting out and things were already going downhill with the plan.

 

“I think we should touch up your runes before you leave, they’re looking a bit faded. Seb will love it if you came back all charged up and ready for him,” Aldertree suggested.

 

Alec couldn’t say no, if he did then he’d make himself a target. And he’d never make it until next week to even be released. “Yea good idea, I’ll go see Duncan later and see if he can do the shading.”

 

Runes were symbols of pride to Circle members that they covered their bodies in. Alec used to be proud of them but now they were just reminders of his old life and the mistakes that he made. He was not happy that he now had to make it so that they were even more prominent against his pale skin.

 

Alec wasn’t looking forward to this, it was going to be painful because he had a lot of runes covering his body that he had let fade away over the last five years. But he tried to tell himself that they were just tattoos, they didn’t need to define him so he went in search of Duncan.

 

Alec found him in his cell cleaning his tattoo equipment. He wasn’t sure where Duncan even kept it so it was out of reach from the guards but he quickly realized that he probably didn’t need to hide it because most of the guards were paid off by the Circle anyhow.

 

He took a deep breath in, “Hey man, can you touch me up before I get out next week?”

 

“Sure, I can do some right now if you want, sit down here and take off your shirt,” Duncan said while gesturing towards the chair at his desk.

 

Alec sat down and threw his shirt on Duncan’s bunk. He closed his eyes and tried to breathe through the pain as he started with the large rune Alec had on his neck.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 

Izzy had the most fantastic first week of work, she loved everyone on the styling team, especially Magnus. He was so kind to her and really took her under his wing to make her feel comfortable.

 

It was Friday afternoon, and she was excited for tonight because they were all going to the club Pandemonium to celebrate her first week.

 

She looked up at Magnus next to her, “Hey, do you have plans tonight?”

 

“No actually, I was supposed to have dinner with my friends Cat and Ragnor but she isn’t feeling good which means he’ll stay home to care for her so I just planned on ordering out and watching movies. Why?” Magnus replied.

 

“Well, if you want to come, I’m going to Pandemonium with my boyfriend, my brother, and his girlfriend, but I promise it won’t be a couples thing though! We’re going out to celebrate my first week and you’ve been such a special part of it that I just really want them to meet you. I talked about you so much to Simon that he thinks I have a crush on you!” Izzy teased.

 

“Well we can’t let Sheldon worry now can we, I’d love to come and meet your family! Is your brother your only sibling?” Magnus asked

 

Izzy laughed, “It’s Simon! And no I have three brothers actually, Jace who you’ll meet, was adopted when he was a kid, he’s the same age as me, 23 and my little brother is Max, he’s still a kid only 12 years old.”

 

“Right, Simon. Got it! And what about the last one?” Magnus replied

 

“Oh…um… Alec, he’s my oldest brother, same age as you actually, he just turned 25,” Izzy said hesitantly, she never really knew how to talk about Alec to people she didn’t know.

 

“And will I get to meet him as well?” Magnus inquired.

 

“Uh, no, he won’t be able to make it,” Izzy quickly tried to change the subject.

 

Magnus could tell that his new friend did not want to talk about her family any longer so he went along with her into lighter conversation, he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t a little intrigued though with why she was so open talking about the rest of her family and then not when it came to her oldest brother.

 

 

~~~~~~

 

 

Magnus was sitting at his vanity putting the finishing touches on his look, he knew he wanted to wear glitter that night especially because they were going to Pandemonium.

 

Once Izzy texted him saying they were heading over, he made his there too. He was coming alone therefore he wanted to make sure that they’d be there first.

 

It took him a minute to find them in the crowd of people but he finally spotted Izzy in a secluded spot at a really nice table.

 

“Hey, Magnus!” Izzy called him over. She stood and gave him a kiss on the cheek, “I’m so happy you’re here, come meet everyone. This is Jace and Clary and this is Simon!”

 

“Hey everybody, nice to meet you guys,” Magnus said while finding a seat next to Izzy. “Nice spot, how did you manage this?”

 

“Oh, I might have name dropped to the manager to get us the best table,” Izzy said proudly, not realizing she was causing them unwanted attention.

 

Jace was not happy learning this little fact. “What the fuck, Iz! You can’t have it both ways, you shouldn’t have told anyone who we are, you can’t use their connections when it suits you.”

 

Magnus was confused, he didn’t understand what was going on. Why wouldn’t Jace want the best table in the house if they had the connections to do so. He felt bad for Izzy she looked really upset after her brother yelled at her.

 

“I’m so sorry, your right Jace. I don’t know what I was thinking, I was just so excited to celebrate that I didn’t realize how stupid that was,” she replied. Simon had come in closer and was rubbing his hands up and down her arms.

 

 “Whatever, its already done, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to blow up at you,” Jace said, he was mad that she did that but he also hated seeing her upset.

 

“Hey, we are supposed to be celebrating. Let’s get another round and do a toast to Izzy’s first week!” Simon said to try and lighten the mood.

 

Magnus was thankful someone had tried to ease the tension a little bit. Luckily, after those first awkward few moments, things were a lot of fun. Everyone was sharing funny stories and Magnus was getting along with everyone great.

 

He really liked Clary, she was an artist and had even offered to go over his sketching with him and give him some pointers so his designs came to life more.

 

They had been partying for a while, they left the table to dance for a bit and then headed back for another drink.

 

Izzy had gotten pretty drunk, she was definitely in celebration mode. But she sobered up quickly though when her brother had another outburst.

 

“Fuck! Izzy, please don’t say a word,” Jace exclaimed when he noticed a pair of men walking towards them.

 

Magnus looked up at them as they stood in front of their table. Two fairly hot, tall and dangerous looking men were staring down at them. They were also covered in tattoos, more than Magnus had ever seen on anyone.

 

The blonde man spoke up first, “Well hello, I was shocked when I heard that the Lightwood’s had requested a table tonight. I knew I had to come say hi, well especially because we’ll be seeing so much of each other come next week.”

 

“Sebastian… Jordan,” Jace said slowly, acknowledging them. “Thanks for stopping by, but we were actually just leaving.”

 

Sebastian’s eyes narrowed, “Well that’s a shame, I was hoping to catch up. That’s okay though, we’ll have to plan a night soon when Alec’s back, he used to love it here. He picked up a lot of guys from this club to take home, I’m sure he’ll be dying to get back here after so many years.”

 

Magnus could feel the tension again and this time it was worse, whoever these people were, Jace clearly didn’t want to be around them.

 

“I’m sure Alec will need an adjustment period before he feels like going out. But again, we were just going, so sorry we couldn’t catch up. Come on guys, lets head out,” Jace said sternly to the group.

 

“Good to see you Jace, you know how to reach me if you ever need anything,” Sebastian said with an almost evil smile.

 

The group made it outside the club as quickly as they could. Magnus could tell they were all pretty distressed by what had just happened.

 

Izzy even started to cry, “Oh my god! This is all my fault. They would have never have found us if I hadn’t said our stupid name. What the hell is wrong with me! I just made things ten times worse for Alec.”

 

Jace walked over and gave his sister a big hug, “Hey, we knew this wasn’t going to be easy. Look, Iz I didn’t want to worry you with your first week of work, but I spoke with Alec a couple days ago and he said Sebastian is expecting him to report to him a week after his release.”

 

Simon and Clary looked equally shocked at this news as well. “What? You didn’t tell me that Jace,” Clary scolded him.

 

“I know, I know, I was trying to come up with a solution before I un-necessarily made everyone even more nervous.” Jace defended himself.

 

Magnus’s head was spinning, he was so confused by everything that was happening. Were his new friends in danger? But everything seemed oddly personal so he knew that Jace had known the people they had met with pretty well. “Okay, what the hell is going on?”

 

The group turned to him and all looked a little startled. Izzy wiped her face and walked over to him. “Magnus, I am so sorry that you have to see all of this. I had no intention to bring my family drama into tonight. I’m just so overwhelmed I can’t really explain tonight. Mind if we talk some other time?”

 

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay? I hate seeing you so upset,” Magnus asked.

 

Izzy gave him another kiss on the cheek. “I promise I’ll be okay, I just need to get home.”

 

Magnus gave her a reassuring touch on the shoulder, “Alright, I’m going. Good night everyone, it was nice to meet you all, I’m sorry things turned out so awful for you tonight.”

 

“We’re sorry too Magnus. Despite everything that happened, I had so much fun meeting you, I’m sure we’ll see each other soon,” Clary said giving him a big hug.

 

Magnus was relieved to be home, he kept trying to figure out what had gone down, but he eventually let his tiredness win and fell asleep cuddling with the Chairman.

   


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 

“Alexander Lightwood,” his name had finally been called after waiting on a bench for what seemed like days in the holding area.

 

“That’s me,” he told the guard at the desk. “Here are your release papers and personal belongings, you need to report to your parole officer tomorrow morning at 10 A.M.”

 

He noticed that he was slightly shaking as he signed his life back to him, “Okay, I understand. I’m all set then, I can just walk out the door?” he asked not really believing that the moment was really here. The guard found his apprehension amusing and giggled, “Yup, you can just walk out the door.”

 

Alec didn’t need to be told twice, he picked up his papers and headed out to the pick-up area. It didn’t take long for him to find his siblings, they were both running towards him and nearly knocked him over as they hugged him as hard as they could.

 

“Hey guys, I can’t breathe,” he said. His siblings didn’t let go though, they lightened their grips a bit, but didn’t stop until Alec hugged them back with equal force. “I missed you guys too, but can we please get out of this parking lot and as far away from here as possible.”

 

Jace gave a small laugh, “Yea of course buddy, let’s get you back home.”

 

Izzy had offered to rent a car for them so that they wouldn’t have to take the bus back to the city, and Alec was more than grateful. He was already feeling slightly overwhelmed and he didn’t want to sit on a bus full of people right now.

 

He was getting slightly annoyed with his sister in the car, she kept asking him if he was okay almost every 15-20 minutes. “Oh and are you okay with meeting Simon and Clary, they’re back at my place now but I can totally text Simon to go out for a bit if you want some time to yourself.”

 

Alec rolled his eyes at Izzy, “No Iz, I don’t mind meeting your boyfriend, the guy that is literally letting me stay in his home when he could have easily said no fucking way. Please stop asking me if I’m okay.” He didn’t mean to let his frustration show but she gave him an apologetically smile in return and then put on the radio.

 

 

~~~~~~

 

 

Meanwhile back in Brooklyn, the two Lightwood significant others were slightly freaking out themselves.

 

“Like I knew this day was coming, but now that it’s here, I’m like super nervous. Iz always tells me what a nice guy Alec is on the inside but in reality, I mean the dude’s a violent criminal. I just love Izzy so much, I could never say no to her when she asked me if he could stay.”

 

Clary sat down in front of her friend on the couch, “Simon, I think you’re just having a moment, a couple weeks ago you were telling me how Alec deserves a second chance in life and you were happy to help him through it, your nerves are just getting the better of you.”

 

Simon stood and started to pace back and forth, “Yea, yea I guess you’re right.”

 

The two didn’t have much longer to freak out because they heard the door open downstairs and knew it would only be a moment more before they met the last Lightwood.

 

Jace came through the door first, “Hey babe,” he said as he went over to kiss his girlfriend hello. “How’s it going so far?” Clary asked. Jace looked up a little hesitantly, “Um… well… okay so far I guess, I think he’s overwhelmed.”

 

She didn’t have time to console her boyfriend because in walked Izzy with her brother. Alec was quite a sight, he was extremely tall and in perfect shape. Izzy was one of the most beautiful people she had ever met so she was expecting Alec to be good looking as well but he was like really good looking, he had these great hazel eyes.

 

But just because Clary thought Alec was hot didn’t mean anything, she was madly in love with Jace, she was just a little surprised at what had walked through the door. But she was interrupted by her thoughts as Alec came closer to her.

 

“Hey, I’m Alec. It’s…uh… nice to finally meet you, Jace talks about you all the time, all good stuff I promise,” Alec said kindly.

 

Clary instantly felt a rush of relief, Alec seemed like a nice enough guy, she didn’t know what she and Simon were so worried about.

 

Clary wasn’t sure if it was okay but she went in for a hug anyway and was happy when he returned it, “It’s nice to meet you too, and same about you, Jace has missed you so much.”

 

The two were quickly interrupted by Izzy, “Alec, this is Simon,” she gestured towards her boyfriend.

 

Simon moved forward into the room awkwardly, “Hey man… wow this must be like super weird for you, shit sorry I didn’t mean that, I never really know what to say when I’m meeting someone new, let alone someone who just got out of prison a few hours ago, I’m just gonna shut up now, you’re like really intimidating.”

 

Alec started to laugh, of course Izzy would pick someone like this to spend her life with. Although Alec knew he’d get annoyed with Simon pretty fast, he was still grateful that he was sharing his home with him.

 

“Hey, relax. I won’t bite, well unless you deserve it. And I really appreciate you letting me stay here,” Alec teased.

 

They had moved to the living room after Alec had asked about Simon and his career in the tech industry. Izzy was so happy to see them getting along, “So, are you hungry? I can make you anything you want.”

 

Alec looked up at his sister, “Um… thanks for the offer Iz, but I think the food in the joint is better than your cooking.”

 

“How dare you say that and I was going to be nice and make you whatever you wanted,” she defended her cooking.

 

“Lay off Iz, we don’t want him dying of food poisoning his first day back. Are you hungry though?” Jace asked.

 

Alec paused for a moment before answering, “Anyone up for pizza?”

 

The group clearly agreed, Simon immediately called his favorite place down the street and ordered four pies.

 

“Wow, Simon that’s a lot of pizza, there is only five of us!” Clary said.

 

“Believe me Clary, we’re gonna need it, if you didn’t eat pizza for five years you’d need at least a pie and half before you started to feel satisfied again. I got you covered Alec!” Simon replied.

 

“Thanks man, I appreciate it,” Alec said. He was starting to get that overwhelmed feeling again, it had gone away once they got caught up in conversation but it was starting to creep back in. He knew he needed a minute to himself, “Hey…um… would it be alright if I took a shower quick?”

 

Izzy jumped up off the couch, “Of course big brother, there’s no need to ask. Here, let me show you your room and where the towels are and stuff.

 

Alec was thankful that his sister seemed to notice his need for a break from them all. “Thanks Iz, I’ll be out in a bit.”

 

He ended up taking the longest shower he’d ever taken in his whole life. He just couldn’t seem to leave the warmth of the water and the quiet, relaxing sound that the water made.

 

He didn’t have many belongings with him, he had worn his best shirt this morning which had long sleeves and a collar so he looked as presentable as he could. But the apartment was on the warmer side so Alec really wanted to wear something cooler, he pulled out his gray t-shirt and threw it on.

 

He grimaced when he looked at himself in the mirror, the runes covering his arms were extremely dark, he thought about just staying uncomfortable and putting his long sleeve shirt back on but then realized that they were bound to see them at some point so he might as well get it over with.

 

He walked back towards the kitchen and was immediately met with a gasp, “Holy shit, Alec! Why do they look like that? When I came to visit six months ago they were all faded. Why would you do this?” Izzy shouted.

 

Alec put up his hand gesturing for her to cool it, “I didn’t really have a choice Iz, so please just drop it.”

 

“What do you mean you didn’t have a choice, like did they force you?” she asked.

 

Alec was getting frustrated again, he didn’t really know how to explain it to her. He didn’t want to have to tell his sister that if he hadn’t gotten them redone he would have probably been jumped in prison. “No, fuck…that’s not what I meant, just please leave it be, they’re just tattoos.”

 

Jace could see the tension building, “let’s all calm down, Simon will be back with the food any second. How about we just try and have a good night. We’ll worry about everything tomorrow.”

 

Alec gave his brother a small smile, “Yea thanks, I’d like that.”

 

And that’s just how Alec spent his first night of freedom, they ended up eating pizza in the living room and watching movies until late into the night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 

As hard as Alec tried he wasn’t able to sleep past 5 A.M. the next morning. He tossed and turned in bed for a while trying to fall back asleep, his mind was racing trying to figure out the best way to deal with Sebastian and his old crew.

 

So instead, Alec decided to go for a run, a simple pleasure that he’d missed while inside. The perimeter of the yard after the millionth time just did not compare to taking a jog in the city. He didn’t want to wake up Izzy and Simon so he left the house as quietly as he could.

 

Running felt amazing, he started out slowly and then picked up the pace after a few minutes. Alec didn’t have a watch or a phone so there was no telling how long he had been running for, but once his legs started getting heavier, he headed back home.

He wanted to make sure he had plenty of time to get to his parole appointment that morning.

 

Back at the apartment, Izzy was a wreck when she awoke to find Alec missing.

 

“I don’t know where he is Jace! No, I didn’t hear him leave. What if something is wrong?” She was shouting into the phone. Simon was sitting by her side trying to comfort her.

 

A moment later, Alec came back in through the door. “Where the hell have you been? Alec, I was freaking out! You don’t even have a phone yet. Why didn’t you leave a note?” Izzy shouted frantically after she quickly hung up on Jace.

 

“Fuck Izzy, relax. I’m sorry I didn’t know I needed to check in with you when I wanted to leave the apartment. I didn’t mean to worry you, I just went out for a run,” Alec replied.

 

Izzy calmed once she knew her brother was safe. She really wanted to trust him fully but a part of her was terrified that he would go right back to his old ways as soon as he got the opportunity.

 

“I’m sorry too, I didn’t mean to blow up at you. And of course, you’re able to come and go as you please. But come on, you could have just written a quick note that said you had gone for a run.”

 

Alec sighed, “Fine, next time I will write you a note, okay?” Izzy nodded in reply and went to hurry to get ready for work. Alec went towards his bedroom to shower and get ready for his meeting.

 

He needed to wear his collared shirt again, he wanted to look professional for his first meeting. He headed out to the kitchen to grab coffee before he left.

 

“Ugh Alec, that shirt again?” Izzy commented.

 

“Ah yea Iz, this shirt again. It’s the best one I’ve got,” Alec replied embarrassingly.

 

Izzy realized she probably shouldn’t have commented. “Hey, it gives us an excuse to hang out and go shopping so don’t worry about!”

 

Simon had finally come into the kitchen to join them. Alec didn’t want to ask, but he knew he should, “Um… Simon? Could I maybe borrow a tie? I’m meeting my parole officer today.” He inquired.

 

“Of course man, no problem,” Simon said as he went to stand to grab his ties but was quickly interrupted by his girlfriend. “I’ll pick it out!” Izzy beamed.

 

It was a little awkward when Izzy left them alone but Alec tried his best to make small talk. Luckily, Simon seemed to be able to talk about anything which helped.

 

Izzy returned with a navy tie, not too dressy but definitely helped Alec look a little more put together. “Thanks, Iz. I’m going to head out, I don’t want to be late.”

 

She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, “Good luck, okay? What are you planning to do after? If you want to come by the office for lunch, I usually eat around 1 pm.”

 

Alec smiled, “Thanks, but don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.”

 

 

 

~~~~~~~

 

 

 

Izzy felt really bad about the way her morning with Alec had went. She really didn’t mean to seem like the nagging sister. She knew that there would be an adjustment period for all of them so she tried not to let it get to her.

 

She had been eager to see Magnus today, she felt terrible about the way things were left that night they had gone to Pandemonium.

 

Izzy knew she would likely get to work before Magnus, he usually arrived just on time most days. She put a chai latte on his desk as a peace offering, she knew Magnus deserved an explanation for their behavior the other night.

 

Izzy knew she could trust Magnus, everything she had learned about him in the short time she had known him made her sure of it. She didn’t feel like she needed Alec’s permission to tell his story to Magnus, in a way it was partly her story too as it had affected her whole family deeply.

  

Magnus was eager to see Izzy that morning, they hadn’t talked since the night at the club and then she wasn’t in the office yesterday. He texted her to make sure she was okay and all she said was she needed a personal day.

 

He was happy to see her already there when he walked in. “Oh thank you! How did you know I liked chai lattes?”

 

Izzy smiled back, “There my favorite too, and we have the same taste in fashion so I kind of assumed.” She paused for a moment before continuing, Magnus figured she was trying to decide what to say next.

 

“Um… Magnus, I’m so sorry how things went the other night. I didn’t mean for it to be so drama filled. Things are a bit complicated right now,” Izzy explained.

 

Magnus felt bad that his new friend had so much stress in her life, “Hey, don’t worry about me. And just know Isabelle, that I am here for you if you need anything,” he replied warmly.

 

“Thank you Magnus, that means a lot. Do you want to do lunch today? I could use a friend to talk to, and I want to explain what the hell that all was the other night too.”

 

Magnus couldn’t lie to himself, he was curious about what happened, but he also didn’t want Izzy to feel obligated to tell him. “I would love to do lunch, but don’t feel like you need to explain things to me if you don’t want to. Only talk if you think it’ll help you understand things better, okay?”

 

Izzy let out a deep breath, “Okay, I promise. I do think it would help to talk to someone though, I just feel like I’m way over my head sometimes.”

 

 

 

~~~~~~

 

 

 

It took a while for Alec to find the right office, the building was huge. “Hi, I’m here to see Mr. Rodriguez,” Alec announced to the woman behind the desk. “He’ll be right with you, take a seat there,” she replied pointing to a single chair over by the window.

 

Alec’s nerves were growing as he waited, he kept imagining what this guy was going to be like. He had heard from people in prison that your parole officer could make your life a living hell if they wanted to.

 

“Alexander Lightwood,” a man called from his office. Alec quickly stood and walked over to meet him.

 

“I’m Alaric, I’ll be your parole officer, come on in,” he said gesturing towards the seat. He closed the door and sat down behind his desk.

 

Alec didn’t want to speak until he was asked a question, that was usually how the guards preferred it inside so he didn’t want to offend him and get on his bad side from the start

 

Alaric sat for a few moments typing on the computer until he looked up, “So, how are you adjusting so far?”

 

Alec was a little shocked that was the first question he asked, “Oh…um… okay, I guess. I’m staying with my sister so she’s been very helpful.”

 

“Good… So, the way this works is that you stay out of trouble. Stay away from Circle members, if we get wind that you’re hanging around with known members then we can send you back to Idris for the remainder of your sentence,” Alaric explained sternly.

 

“Also, drugs and alcohol were never a part of your criminal history but I can still order random drug tests at any time. Alcohol is not banned as a part of your parole but it is frowned upon, if you get too loaded and do something stupid, saying that you were wasted is not a legal defense, okay?”

 

“Yes sir,” Alec replied. On the inside, Alec was freaking out a bit. Sebastian was expecting him to report to him next week, and Alec needed to see him face to face to try and get out of all of this.

 

Alec was interrupted out of his thoughts by Alaric taking out a camera from his desk. “I need you to remove your shirt,” he instructed.

 

“Excuse me?” Alec said confused.

 

“I need to document your current tats for the system. If the photos don’t match up when I check again then it’ll show you’ve had more runes added which shows you aren’t following the terms of your parole.”

 

Great, Alec thought. He knew this would be demeaning but he didn’t realize he’d be getting shirtless photos of himself today. But he knew he didn’t have a choice so he stood and did as he was told.

 

“Almost done, just turn to the side, so that I can get you’re deflect rune better,” Alaric asked.

 

Alec wasn’t sure if he should speak out of turn but he couldn’t help his curiosity. “Um… How do you know so much about runes?”

 

Luckily, Alaric didn’t look offended, “I used to work major crimes, there was a violent uprising years ago when the Circle first came around in New York. We thought we had caused enough damage with the numerous arrests we made but clearly, we didn’t do as good a job as we thought,” he explained gesturing towards Alec.

 

Alec just nodded as he put his shirt back on. He didn’t want to risk saying the wrong thing and making him angry.

 

The meeting went pretty quick after that, Alaric told him a few more rules and then sent him on his way. The experience wasn’t as bad as Alec thought it would be, his parole officer seemed like a pretty good guy.

 

He needed to figure out what he was going to do about Sebastian though, if the cops are watching him in any way and saw Alec meeting with him then he’d be right back in prison.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapters 5 and 6 were posted together. 
> 
> I am writing Chapter 7 now which is the Malec meet and it will be posted tomorrow :)
> 
> They were originally all one big chapter but it was a lot so I split it up and decided to post a bit early with the first half :)

Chapter 6

 

Izzy and Magnus decided to go down the block for lunch that day for a bit more privacy. They ended up at a Thai place that Magnus suggested. They sat quietly waiting for their food until Izzy decided the silence was just too much.

 

“This is weird, just sitting and not talking. Look Magnus, I was out yesterday because I had to pick up my brother from prison. Alec was in Idris Correctional Facility for five years and he was finally released yesterday. He is a good person though, he loves me and my siblings so much I can’t even explain it. When we were younger, he was so loving and caring, he basically raised us because my parents were always too busy to care,” Izzy explained.

 

Magnus paused for a moment before answering, “Well, he sounds like a great brother, you must be glad to have him back in your lives.”

 

Izzy was relieved that Magnus wasn’t judging his brother’s past too harshly and focusing on the good that she had told him about.

 

“My parents have been part of the Circle for years, since they were teenagers. They cover all their runes strategically to look more professional but they are still involved. They both got law degrees and now defend some of the most violent Circle members there are. The only reason they weren’t able to get my brother off when he was arrested was because he refused to let them be his lawyers. He knew that they would do some evil shit to get him off including intimidating witnesses and destroying evidence. At a young age, they started filling his head with the importance of becoming a Circle member and how proud they were of him when he got his first rune,” she continued.

 

Magnus like most New Yorkers had heard bits and pieces about the Circle. But never had he met someone directly involved with it. The Circle was responsible for some of the most violent crimes in New York, it was rumored that they made millions of dollars each year dealing in very dangerous enterprises.

 

“I’m so sorry you’ve had to deal with this your whole life. We can’t pick who are parents are. It doesn’t really sound like your brother had much of a chance if they threw him into it at such a young age, and filed his head with all of their radical beliefs. What kind of parent would be proud of their son for committing acts of violence?” Magnus replied.

 

“Mine unfortunately, and Alec is done with it. He doesn’t want to spend his life like this. He’s spent the last five years trying to leave the Circle, but it is not exactly the easiest thing to do, especially when my parents are still expecting him to be involved.”

 

Although, Magnus had not met Alec, he couldn’t help but feel bad for him. He did not seem like he was a bad person on the inside and it must be terrible to have to try and play one in order to survive.

 

“Well, your brother has you and your incredible siblings and loved ones to help him through this. I’m guessing he is staying with you now? I’d love to meet him, I’m sure he could use a friend as well.”

 

They were interrupted by their food finally arriving, “Thanks for being so understanding Magnus,” Izzy murmured before digging into her noodles.

 

 

 

~~~~~~

 

 

 

Alec wanted to do something nice for Izzy and Simon so he decided to cook them dinner that night, he had already invited Jace and Clary over last night when he saw them.

 

Alec missed cooking, he would often cook for his siblings when they were younger because his parents were too busy and often gone until very late. He decided on making spaghetti and meatballs, a dish that they all used to love.

 

He was so in the zone that he didn’t even hear the door open when his sister got home. “Alec! Ahh…. It smells so good in here! This looks amazing!” she gushed.

 

Alec giggled at his sister’s reaction, “Thanks Iz, I thought you’d enjoy it. I invited Jace and Clary over too, is that okay?”

 

“Of course it is!” Izzy walked over and gave her brother a kiss on the cheek.

 

The dinner was a hit, everyone was laughing and sharing stories about their childhoods, trying to fill Alec in on everything he had missed. There was a lightness at the table, that they all hoped would never end.

 

Alec loved seeing his siblings happy and laughing. But unfortunately the moment didn’t last. The conversation was interrupted by the buzzer going off at the front door.

 

“That’s weird, I’m not expecting anyone to come over,” Izzy said as she went to get up and open the door.

 

Alec quickly grabbed her wrist and pushed her back down, “Stay here, all of you,” he ordered sternly. Alec was hoping to be wrong but he was pretty sure whoever was at the door was for him.

 

“Alec, it’s good to see you man,” his old friend said once Alec opened the door.

 

But Alec was not happy to see Raj standing there. He was angry that they knew exactly where Izzy lived and he knew that Sebastian wanted him to know that, which is probably why he had sent Raj over in the first place.

 

“What are you doing here, Raj? You can’t just show up like this, if my parole officer found out, I’d be sent back to Idris,” Alec replied trying any way he could to get rid of him.

 

“Look, I’m not staying just dropping something off for you. I’ll see you soon man,” Raj said as he gave Alec a bag and turned to leave.

 

Alec quickly walked back inside and shut the door. When he got back to the kitchen he was met by four very concerned faces.

 

“Who was that?” Izzy asked cautiously.

 

“It was Raj, you guys know him, he works with mom and dad sometimes,” Alec explained.

 

“That guy gives me the creeps,” Jace responded. “How the hell did he know where you live Iz!”

 

“That’s what I’d like to know, I hate to think that our parents had anything to do with it,” Alec said rubbing his eyes.

 

“What’s in the bag that he gave you?” Simon asked.

 

“Honestly, I don’t even want to know,” Alec replied.

 

“What Alec! There could be like a bomb in there!” Izzy shouted.

 

Alec held out his hand and rolled his eyes, “You got to stop watching movies Iz.”

 

Alec picked the bag up off the floor and reached in. He shouldn’t have been surprised to see the first item in his hands. It was a brand new iPhone, how else were they planning on contacting Alec whenever they felt like it.

 

But Alec froze when he felt the familiar grip of the second item at the bottom of the bag. He knew exactly what it was before he took it out.

 

He placed it on the table slowly, hearing the gasps from his sister next to him. He was careful about the angle he placed it at so that it wasn’t close to anyone at the table.

 

It was a 9mm hand gun. Sebastian was clearly trying to send him a message that he was not going to allow Alec to ditch him.

 

“Fuck Alec! What the hell is that!” Izzy screamed as she stood from the table and backed away.

 

“Calm down Iz! Yelling isn’t helping anything,” Jace replied.

 

Alec didn’t really know what to say to his family at this moment. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do next. The one thing he knew he had to do was get rid of this gun and do it fast.

 

Alec spoke calmly, “Jace, can you take this and lock it up at your place? If my parole officer was to do a random search, I’d get thrown back into Idris.”

 

Jace nodded as he picked it up and placed it back into the bag where it came from.

 

Izzy was still beyond reason, “Take that stupid phone too! I’ll get you a new phone Alec, one that isn’t supplied to you by that monster.”

 

“No, Iz,” Alec replied sternly.

 

“Excuse me? What do you mean, no? You can’t accept this from him,” Izzy shouted.

 

Alec sighed, he was started to get heated, “What the fuck do you think is going to happen if he tries to contact me and I don’t respond because I threw the phone into the river, huh? You need to think Iz, he’d send an even worse message after that!”

 

Simon clearly did not like Alec yelling at Izzy. “Hey! Everyone needs to just calm down! We’ll figure this out. Jace, please get that thing as far away from my apartment as possible and Izzy please try and think about things clearly for a second, I think Alec has a point about the phone.”

 

The night had been ruined. Jace and Clary quickly left and Alec had stormed off to his room saying he needed a bit to just cool off on his own and to think. And Simon remained in the kitchen trying to console a very upset Izzy.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

 

Somehow Alec had survived his first week out. After the incident with Raj showing up, the Circle had left him alone for now. He kept the phone on him at all times but so far nobody tried to contact him.

 

It was working out pretty well living with Izzy and Simon, they had both been gone for most hours during the day so that gave Alec enough space to himself. He was interested to see what their weekends were like, so far he hadn’t really seen them for more than a few hours at a time so this would be a bit different.

 

Alec had been going running almost every morning, he just loved the freedom of it. He found Simon and Izzy up and in the living room when he got back.

 

“Hey man, we’re going to get some breakfast down the street at our favorite place. Do you wanna come with?” Simon asked.

 

Alec thought for a moment, he wasn’t sure if he was just asking to be nice and if he wanted some alone time with his girlfriend, but he was also pretty hungry. “Okay yea sure, mind if I shower quick?”

 

“No, not at all, take your time,” Simon responded.

 

Alec tried to take a quick shower, but unfortunately, his body had other plans. Since he’d been out he was getting more and more sexually-frustrated every day. He didn’t get it, nothing had really changed since he was inside. It was like prison messed with your libido or something. Now that he was out, his body was getting more and more eager to have a release.

 

Alec reached for his cock in the shower, he started pumping slow at first and then started to pick up the pace. He knew this wouldn’t satisfy him the way it should but at least it was something to take the edge off.

 

Although he didn’t want to tempt himself into any trouble, Alec knew he’d probably be out tonight in the Saturday crowds looking for a potential hook-up.

 

It didn’t take long for Alec to reach his release, as it had been a while. Prison did not afford a lot of privacy for an inmate to have a moment with themselves, a lot of guys would just ignore the people around them and go about their business but Alec never would.

 

His breathing was heavy as he came onto the shower wall. He stroked himself through his release before pointing the shower towards it to wash away any trace of his moment with himself.

 

He quickly dressed and came out to find them waiting in a sweet embrace on the couch for him. “I’m ready, sorry if I took a while.”

 

“It’s okay bro! But let’s go, I’m literally starving,” Izzy said as she jumped off the couch and headed towards the door.

 

The diner was busy but they got a booth in the window and immediately ordered food as soon as they sat down.

 

“Oh…um… can I get black coffee and two eggs over-easy on rye toast please,” Alec said when it was his turn to order.

 

“Yuck! Alec, come on that has to be the most boring breakfast. Did you not see the french toast options on the menu?” Izzy teased.

 

Alec sighed, “I didn’t get to look because you were so eager to order, it doesn’t matter though, I probably would have ordered that anyway. You know I don’t have much of a sweet tooth.”

 

The breakfast was nice, the more Alec got to know Simon the more he liked him. He really was just a good guy and he knew that he was a perfect partner for Izzy to have. Simon seemed to balance her out in the places she needed.

 

“So…um… I’m not sure if Iz told you, but I actually sing in a band. We play smaller gigs around Brooklyn but we are playing tonight if you want to come? It’s at the Hunter’s Moon,” Simon asked.

 

Alec was planning on going out tonight anyway, and he was having trouble coming up with places to go that did not have connections to the Circle. “That’s cool. I had no idea you could sing. Sure, I’ll come.”

 

“Yay! Oh my god, I’m so excited that you said yes. I told Simon to ask you because I figured he could guilt you into coming!” Izzy shouted.

 

No guilt necessary, Alec had missed New York nightlife. He couldn’t wait to get out and blend in somewhere like he had a normal life. “I’d be happy to come, are Jace and Clary coming?”

 

“Yea they are, and I also invited my work friend Magnus, I owe him a better night out,” Izzy replied.

 

Alec had heard Izzy mention Magnus once before when she told him the story of Sebastian finding her at Pandemonium, “He’s the one that was with you guys the night Sebastian came around right?”

 

Izzy nodded, “Yea he was, and…um… I kind of told him all about us and you and well mom and dad too. I promise though, he isn’t going to say anything, I don’t think he even knows anyone to tell where it would be a problem.”

 

Alec scoffed, “Great Iz, I’m sure he’s gonna be super fucking happy to meet your older brother now.”

 

Izzy glared in his direction, “Hey, if you must know, he was nothing but supportive when I told him about our family. I need someone to talk to Alec, someone outside of our family, this has been stressful on all of us,” she said, defending her actions.

 

“Fine, your right, I’m sorry. I know that this has affected you guys, but hopefully it will all be in the past soon,” Alec said trying to comfort her.

 

 

 

~~~~~~

 

 

 

Magnus was finishing getting ready for the night. Izzy had texted him earlier to make sure he was still coming to the show. He was even more interested in going when she told him that her brother Alec was also coming.

 

After everything Magnus had heard about him, he was very eager to meet him. It sounded like he was a good person that was stuck in a bad situation. Magnus always seemed to gravitate towards people with a chip on their shoulders.

 

Magnus was also very curious about him after what he had heard that Sebastian guy saying about him at Pandemonium. In his comments, he had insinuated that he was not straight. If Isabelle was any indication of what Alec may look like, he knew the man was probably going to be gorgeous.

 

He wore his black skinny jeans that made his ass look absolutely fabulous, they had just the right amount of glitter in them that really made them pop. He headed out just before 10 P.M. and started the short walk over to the Hunter’s Moon.

 

Magnus waved at Simon on stage, he noticed him right away and gestured towards Izzy and the group in the corner. The band sounded great, Simon had a pretty good voice for a computer geek, Magnus thought.

 

As he made his way over, he noticed the tall, dark and handsome beauty standing next to Jace talking into his ear. Magnus’s breathing hitched, he could only hope that this was Alec.

 

“Magnus! You made it!” Izzy shouted as she jumped up and down.

 

“Of course, my dear. Thanks for the invite,” Magnus replied as he kept his eyes focused on the man. When he tipped his head in the opposite direction, Magnus got a great look at the tattoo situated on his neck. And in that moment, Magnus knew that this must be Alec.

 

“Hey Alec, come here,” Izzy gestured towards her brother.

 

Up close, Alec was even more gorgeous, he had these incredible hazel eyes and the perfect amount of stubble on his face. In his left hand, he was holding a whiskey on the rocks. Magnus tried not too but he couldn’t help but eye fuck him up and down.

 

“This is Magnus,” Izzy explained, “And, this is my brother Alec.”

 

“It’s nice to meet you,” Magnus said as he reached his hand out.

 

Alec pushed his hand forward as well, “Yea same to you. Izzy says you’ve been really good to her at the new job and everything.”

 

“I got lucky that they hired someone like her. She has been such a good addition to the team,” Magnus replied.

 

“Let me get you a drink, what do you like?” Alec asked.

 

Magnus smirked, “I’ll have exactly what you have, darling.” Magnus said as he pointed to his drink. He was trying his best to keep the flirting to a minimum, but it was a losing battle. Alec was hot and Magnus was definitely very attracted to him.

 

 

 

~~~~~~

 

 

 

Fuck, Alec thought. Izzy didn’t warn him that her coworker was basically a walking Sex God. He had the most incredible eyes, that almost looked as if they can enchant you. He was wearing tight black jeans that hugged him in all the right places.

 

Luckily for Alec, he was pretty sure that Magnus was checking him out as he walked over to meet him.

 

He was pleased to learn that Magnus liked hard liquor as well, so he went over to the bar and order two more whiskeys and brought them back over to their table.

 

“So Magnus, tell me about yourself,” Alec asked.

 

The two sat in the corner for multiple rounds of drinks, they both shared stories about themselves and as the night went on they were both getting bolder with each other.

 

Alec felt Magnus put his hand on his inner thigh when he was laughing at something he had just said. Their eyes met for a moment, he could tell that Magnus was trying to see if his gesture was okay with him.

 

He decided to let his actions speak for themselves, he opened his legs up slightly and inched forward in his chair so Magnus’s hand slid upwards. He smiled as Magnus’s eyes widened with desire.

 

“Care to dance, Alexander?” Magnus asked playfully.

 

Alec paused a second at the use of his full name, he usually hated it, but it sounded so sexy coming from Magnus that he didn’t even feel the need to correct him.

 

Alec nodded, he grabbed a hold of Magnus’s hand and pulled him towards the dance floor.

 

He knew he wasn’t the greatest dancer but he knew he would do anything that meant he would be closer to Magnus. Luckily for him, Magnus seemed to be an amazing dancer, he immediately pushed in closer to Alec and swayed his hips to the beat of the music.

 

It only took a moment for things to get more heated, their hands began to roam and explore each other’s bodies. Alec slipped his fingers underneath the rim of Magnus’s shirt in the back and brushed down towards his side.

 

His touch seemed to have just the right effect on his dancer partner, Magnus melted into the touch, Alec could have sworn he heard a small groan of pleasure coming from him.

 

Alec was incredibly turned on, they seemed to fit together like puzzle pieces. They were starting to get sweaty as they increased the pressure between them. When he changed his position slightly, he could feel Magnus getting hard against his leg.

 

He knew they were in public but Alec wanted to make sure that Magnus was feeling just as he was before things went any further. He turned inward a bit for a little privacy and moved his palm up and down Magnus’s length inside his jeans.

 

Alec smiled as the grip Magnus had on either side of his arms tightened in response. He watched as Magnus moved towards Alec’s ear, “Hey, do you want to get out of here?”

 

Alec nodded quickly before he turned his head to capture Magnus’s lips in a kiss. He bit down on his bottom lip causing Magnus to groan again, Alec pulled back and grabbed his hand. Alec knew they had both had enough of this place and started to walk towards the exit.

 

He looked back towards his family for a second, he had honestly forgotten that he was out with them. Izzy caught his glance, she had a worried expression on her face but gave him a small smile. Alec gave her a quick nod before leaving with Magnus in hand.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

 

Magnus had been in a daze ever since he started dancing with Alec, there was some pretty heavy groping and petting and he was slowly losing his patience with being surrounded by other people.

 

He was trying his best to behave himself, they were out in public after all. Which is why he was surprised when he felt Alec’s hand rubbing his cock through his pants. Magnus’s brain exploded in pleasure, he needed to get them out of there and quickly.

 

There was no convincing necessary when Magnus asked if Alec wanted to come home with him. Instead, he responded with a searing kiss on his lips. And the kiss wasn’t polite either, Magnus nearly fell to his knees when Alec bit down on his bottom lip in urgency.

 

Magnus only lived 5 minutes from the bar, but it was taking them far longer to get home tonight. Alec simply wouldn’t keep his hands to himself and just walk. Every few steps, Magnus found himself being pushed up onto the side of a building with Alec’s hands all over him.

 

He loved the way that Alec seemed to worship his body, it was like the man was trying to memorize every curve and line Magnus had.

 

“Darling, please… We’re only a few blocks away. You just need to behave yourself for a few minutes,” Magnus teased.

 

Alec pulled back, Magnus had finally been able to snap him out of his exploration. “Fine, I’ll stop. But only because we need to get you out of these clothes,” he replied with a smirk.

 

Magnus definitely liked the sound of that, he quickly pulled Alec towards his apartment building.

 

They had finally made it, Magnus made his way to the kitchen to get them both some water. He watched as Alec’s eyes wandered around the apartment a bit. Now that Alec was actual inside, Magnus saw that he didn’t look completely comfortable.

 

“Alexander, are you alright?” Magnus asked as he handed him some water.

 

“Me? I’m amazing, you’re fucking gorgeous Magnus. This has been an amazing night...I just…are you sure you want this? I can leave right now, just say the word,” Alec replied.  

 

Magnus walked over and pushed their bodies together once again, “Well, thank you, you are just as gorgeous. And I am definitely okay with continuing our evening, that is if you are as well?”

 

Alec’s eyes were focused on the ground by Magnus’s feet. “Iz, told me that you know about me, Magnus. It’s okay if you don’t want to…well you know…hang out with someone like me,” Alec clarified.

 

Magnus let out a deep breath, “it’s true, your sister did tell me your story. But what I got from it is that you are a good person that was caught up in a bad situation. And that you want to change things. There is nothing wrong with that, Alexander. We clearly connected tonight and not just sexually either, you are so easy to talk to and I’ve never laughed that hard in my life,” he explained.

 

So, friends? He added with a sly smile.

 

That seemed to satisfy Alec enough to continue his seduction. Magnus arched up his head as Alec’s lips and teeth dragged across his neck roughly. Alec didn’t seem to color inside the lines whatsoever when it came to making out, Magnus could only imagine what he could do with his whole body.

 

“My bedroom is this way darling,” Magnus said as he gestured towards the hall. “Oh, and don’t freak out if a cat runs through your legs, he’s bound to show himself at some point, he’s a bit shy at first.”

 

Magnus was confused when Alec suddenly pulled back. “Wait a minute. You have a cat?” Alec asked.

 

“Um, yes. Is that a problem?” Magnus uttered confusingly.

 

“No, not at all! Can I meet him? It’s been so long since I’ve gotten to hold a cat,” Alec asked enthusiastically.

 

“Right now? I’m mean we’re a little busy, darling,” Magnus teased. He couldn’t believe that Alec had stopped his amazing work with his tongue to meet his cat.

 

But Alec didn’t continue, he really seemed adamant about meeting the cat. “Fine, fine. I’ll go find Chairman, he doesn’t really like strangers though so he’ll probably just run away.”

 

Magnus went to go search for him. He lifted his hands in disbelief as he walked down the hall, “I can’t believe I just got cock-blocked by my own cat!” He sighed. He could hear Alec laughing at him from the living room.

 

He had found Chairman curled up on the chair in his bedroom, he stretched out to greet Magnus as he came over. He scooped him up and went back out to the living room.

 

“Chairman Meow meet Alexander,” Magnus said as he placed the cat into Alec’s arms. His heart melted as he watched Alec’s eyes light up. He was happy to see that Chairman was actually enjoying the attention and seemed happy to stay in his arms.

 

It had only been a minute or two, but Magnus was getting impatient. “Well, what do you know, it’s the Chairman’s bedtime,” he said as he grabbed the cat and moved him over to his bed in the living room. Magnus felt bad for interrupting the sweet moment, but he felt it necessary to do something when he started to feel jealous of the attention of his cat.

 

Luckily, Alec didn’t seem upset. “I’m sorry, are you feeling neglected?” he giggled.

 

“Maybe? But who’s fault is that? You were showing me so much attention before I stupidly brought up my cat,” Magnus teased as he moved over towards Alec sitting on the couch.

 

Alec tugged at the bottom of Magnus’s shirt pulling him closer. He put a hand on either side of Magnus’s hips and guided him onto Alec’s lap. “Comfy?” he asked as he slid his hand around towards his ass.

 

Magnus was happy to be the center of Alec’s attention again, he nodded in reply and moved his lips down towards Alec’s.

 

Alec was an amazing kisser, he was so messy and raw about it and in such a perfect way. His tongue was so far into Magnus’s mouth that it was driving him crazy. Magnus decided to start creating a little pressure between them as he ground his hips down.

 

Alec responded in turn by squeezing his ass a little harder and pushing up his hips to meet Magnus’s. Magnus could tell they were both getting insanely hard at this point.

 

“I…I need pants off,” Magnus muttered breathlessly.

 

“Ahh…oh,” Magnus groaned in surprise.

 

Without warning, Alec had stood up with Magnus still in hand, supporting his weight perfectly. He walked towards the bedroom, never letting Magnus down. He knew Alec was strong but he didn’t realize just how strong he actually was.

 

Alec laid him gently down on the bed on his back as he crawled over him. He pushed up Magnus’s shirt a bit and kissed and licked his abs as he worked on getting Magnus’s belt off. Once that was off, his jeans followed shortly. Each piece of clothing Alec removed he would turn his attention to that area with his mouth.

 

Alec now had his hands underneath each of Magnus’s legs as he licked and bit at his inner thigh at the spot right where his underwear stopped. Magnus was groaning in pleasure at this point.

 

He was trying his best to stay coherent, but Alec’s movements were making it hard for him to think. He knew he should be participating more but he couldn’t seem to focus. He didn’t even remember his shirt coming off until he felt Alec’s mouth over one of his nipples.

 

His head shot up and he gasped at the new sensation. He had licked at it gently before grazing over it with his teeth. Alec knew that he was driving him crazy and gave him a sly smile.

 

“Shhh, I’ve got you,” Alec said as he moved down his body.  

 

Magnus felt him hook his fingers underneath his underwear before pulling them down and off. The cool air felt incredible on his cock as it finally sprung free. But Magnus didn’t have long to enjoy the sensation as Alec continued his actions.

 

He moaned loudly as Alec began stroking his cock gently. He was moving his hand up and down strategically while the other hand moved down further to roll over Magnus’s balls.

 

“Uh, Alexander…uh…that feels amazing,” Magnus mumbled as best he could.

 

Alec seemed to enjoy the praise, he picked up the pace with his hand and moved his lips down further and began nibbling at Magnus’s hip bone.

 

Magnus was hopeless, all he could do was lay there squirming under Alec’s touch. But he was confused when he realized he couldn’t feel Alec’s kisses anymore, that is until he felt him gently lick at Magnus’s tip.

 

Magnus arched his head and shoulders back in pleasure on the bed. Things were getting foggier as Alec moved his tongue up and down the backside of his cock before closing his lips around it.

 

“Oh my god…mmhmm,” Magnus hummed in absolute bliss. He didn’t know how much longer he was going to last like this, he felt drunk with passion.

 

Alec continued to go harder and deeper, Magnus could feel his cock nearing the back of his throat and it was driving him wild. Once his cock was as deep as it could go, Alec would swallow as best as he could making all of Magnus’s nerve endings explode.

 

“I’m close...I’m so close,” Magnus warned as he was panting with pleasure, so Alec had time to pull off.

 

But he showed no signs of wanting to stop, if anything he moved his mouth up and down in even more urgency. The hand cupping his balls moved lower and moved his fingers over Magnus’s hole firmly back and forth.

 

The firm pressure at his hole was all it took for Magnus to release. He moaned loudly as he came in Alec’s mouth. Alec worked Magnus through his release completely before pulling off.

 

He felt Alec move to the side of the bed as he pulled him into his arms. He started to stroke down Magnus’s arm warmly. His eyes were still closed as he tried to catch his breath, and he was more than happy to stay just like this forever as Alec continued his tender care.

 

After a few minutes, Magnus’s senses finally started to return. Alec’s hand was gently rubbing his chest and arms, and it felt incredible. It had been so long since Magnus had been taken care of so intensely.

 

But as Alec continued his motion with his hands, Magnus finally started to realize something. He noticed a certain texture rubbing at his naked body that caused him to immediately shoot up on to his elbows.

 

“Holy shit Alexander! You are still completely clothed. How the hell does something like that happen?” Magnus exclaimed embarrassingly.

 

“Well, you were a little preoccupied. Don’t worry though, I didn’t mind,” Alec replied as he moved over to give Magnus a kiss on the lips.

 

“I’m so sorry, darling. I couldn’t seem to concentrate at all…you were making me feel so good,” Magus tried to explain.

 

“Hey, you have nothing to apologize for. I loved how responsive you were for me, it was driving me fucking wild,” Alec replied.

 

Magnus was glad that Alec didn’t seem annoyed with him. Usually, Magnus was a very capable lover but something about Alec made his head all fuzzy.

 

“Well, we have a long night ahead of us my dear. I will be sure to make it up to you,” Magnus teased as he rolled over on top of Alec capturing his lips once again.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

 

Alec was easily getting hooked on Magnus’s body, he was so responsive that it was driving Alec mad with pleasure. He didn’t even care that he hadn’t released yet, he wanted to take his time tonight with Magnus.

 

Now that he was out of prison, he could fuck for as long as he felt like it. He had all the time in the world to make Magnus feel amazing.

 

Once Alec had taken care of Magnus with his mouth, he was able to concentrate a bit more. He had pulled Alec underneath him and had sat on top of him so his semi-hard cock was resting on Alec’s stomach.

 

He loved seeing Magnus so exposed like this, he had an incredible body. Alec felt like he could spend hours exploring it. He wanted to know every spot he had that makes him squirm in pleasure.

 

“Come here, darling,” Magnus said breathlessly as Alec was startled from his thoughts.

 

Alec leaned his body forward towards Magnus to kiss down his neck. Magnus arched his head back and moaned at the sensation, as he inched his hands under Alec’s shirt before pulling it over his head.

 

He watched as Magnus’s eyes widened as he took in the site of Alec’s body. He rubbed his hands over Alec’s tattoos as if he was trying to study them. He leaned in so he could lick and suck around Alec’s abs, moving expertly around his body.

 

Magnus could do wonders with his tongue Alec thought. He was moving up and down Alec’s chest peppering it with nibbles and kisses as he saw fit. He had Alec groaning out when he would hit a particularly sensitive spot.

 

After a few minutes of Alec letting himself be lost in the bliss of Magnus’s actions, he was beginning to get painful hard trapped in his jeans. So he swiftly rotated himself so that Magnus was spread out underneath him.

 

Magnus smirked, “getting impatient, darling?” he teased.

 

“Maybe,” Alec muttered in return. “Do you have what I need?” he asked.

 

Magnus nodded, “in the top draw,” he gestured towards his nightstand.

 

Alec crawled off the bed, leaving a gorgeous Magnus splayed out in front of him. He couldn’t help but admire the man on display.

 

So far, Magnus had shown no signs of being shy, so Alec decided he would try and push him a bit further. He stood at the side of the bed to grab what they needed but stopped and smiled at Magnus, “let me see all of you baby, spread your legs wider for me.”

 

Magnus happily spread himself more on the bed as Alec watched. “Like this?” he hummed as he moved his legs out.

 

“Fuck yes. Now why don’t you wrap that perfect hand around yourself. Let me watch you,” Alec replied.

 

Alec could tell that Magnus liked putting on a show. He moved his hand slowly down his chest grazing past his nipples slowly. As soon as he started to stroke himself he was groaning out in pleasure.

 

“Harder Magnus,” Alec commanded with hungry eyes.

 

Magnus’s eyes were shut tight as he quickened his pace with his hand, he didn’t know how much longer he was going to last like this. He was so close to the edge that with just a little more time he would be coming.

 

But he wanted to feel Alec inside of him before he released, so he reluctantly slowed his movements and lifted his hand from his cock. “I want you, Alexander. Now come back over here.”

 

Alec smirked and made quick work of his jeans and boxers. He threw them to the side of the room and grabbed the lube and condoms from Magnus’s top drawer.

 

Magnus’s mouth dropped when he finally saw Alec in all his glory. His gorgeous stomach muscles narrowed into the perfect V with a small trail of dark hair.

 

Alec knew he was big, Magnus’s eyes looked a bit shocked once he was finally naked and laying down beside him on the bed. “Hey, you okay baby?”

 

Magnus moved in closer and wrapped his leg around Alec’s body. “I’m more than okay. But…just go easy on me… I haven’t been with a man in a while so…”

 

Before he could finish, Alec had pushed up onto his elbows. “Of course, Magnus. Why don’t I just finish you with my fingers tonight? There is no need to rush anything if you aren’t sure,” he suggested.

 

But Magnus was sure, “No, no, no darling, I want this,” he said. “You are just bigger than anyone I have ever been with. But you are also the best lover I have ever been with so believe me, I am sure. I know you will take good care of me.”

 

Alec would have gone along with whatever Magnus had been okay with but he was more than happy to continue on with him. He leaned over and began kissing down his chest.

 

He settled in between Magnus’s legs and pushed his knees up and out as far as they could go.

 

He lubed up his middle finger before pressing in gently as he worked Magnus open. Alec was going to take his time with prepping him.

 

Luckily he had very long fingers so he could still make Magnus squirm with even just one. Every few movements he would curl up his finger so that it stroked softly at Magnus’s prostate causing him to gasp out.

 

“More, Alexander,” Magnus begged after a few minutes.

 

Alec added another finger slowly, Magnus felt tight with even just two fingers. He wasn’t so sure if they were going to get to his cock tonight if Magnus didn’t open up more, even if he begged him for it. He would not hurt Magnus, not even a little.

 

He continued to spread his fingers out in a scissoring motion causing Magnus to moan in pleasure once he got adjusted. Luckily, his body was responding well, Alec was able to add a third finger without much resistance. He picked up the pace with his movements and was sure to aim towards his prostate to keep Magnus on edge.

 

“I’m ready, I’m ready,” Magnus panted as best he could.

 

Alec slowly slid his fingers out gently, he reached behind Magnus to grab a pillow to slide under his hips. “Lift up for me, baby,” he asked.

 

Magnus adjusted his position on the pillow. He nodded towards Alec to continue as he spread his legs out a little further.

 

Alec grabbed a condom and the lube and coated himself generously with it before crouching over Magnus on the bed. He kissed Magnus’s chest as he lined his cock up with his hole.

 

He pressed the tip in as slowly as he could so Magnus could adjust before continuing on. The pressure on Alec’s cock felt incredible but he didn’t want to get too excited and risk hurting Magnus so he fought with his brain to concentrate as he bottomed out.  

 

“You okay?” Alec asked.

 

“Oh yes, god yes,” Magnus answered. “You can move, darling.”

 

Alec moved his head forward to lick Magnus’s bottom lip as he started to move. He pumped back and forth slowly at first before picking up the pace.

 

Things were getting hotter by the second. Alec would roll his hips upward in a way that made Magnus want to scream at how good it felt. And Magnus was so hot and tight around Alec’s cock that he was just as in heaven as he was.

 

Alec made sure to change up positions so that they lasted longer, he loved seeing Magnus move underneath him. He was clearly getting impatient as he tried to move his own hips up to meet Alec’s unrelenting thrusts.

 

He knew that Magnus wouldn’t last much longer so he put all of his energy into hitting that perfect spot in Magnus’s body that made him twist and turn in pleasure.

 

“Oh my god, right there,” Magnus screamed.

 

It didn’t take much after that before Magnus was coming un-touched onto his own stomach. The feeling of Magnus’s body clenched around his cock was enough for Alec to unravel as he came inside.

 

Alec waited a minute for them to catch their breath before pulling out gently. He somehow found enough strength to walk over to the bathroom. He grabbed a warm wet cloth and headed back towards the bed.

 

Magnus was sprawled out looking dazed and exhausted. Alec gently washed his stomach and then moved the cloth down towards his ass.

 

But when Alec looked down at the cloth after cleaning Magnus gently, he was not happy with what he saw which was the color red. “Magnus, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Fuck, I should have just listened to myself and finished you with my fingers tonight.”

 

Magnus was confused by the sudden outburst, he was too busy feeling absolutely amazing to notice something was wrong. So when he looked down at the cloth in Alec’s hand, he couldn’t help but giggle.

 

“Darling, that is the smallest little dot of blood I have ever seen. It’s probably just a little superficial irritation, I have some cream I can apply,” he said reassuringly. He didn’t need Alec feeling bad about any of this after making him feel so amazing.

 

“Alexander, that was probably the best sex of my life. So please don’t think that you hurt me.”

 

Alec dropped the cloth on the floor before climbing back onto the bed. “Fine, if you’re sure Magnus.” He pulled him to his chest and began stroking his back gently up and down. “But I’m still going easier next time, that is if you want there to be a next time,” he added.

 

“I would definitely love if there was a next time, but I wouldn’t want to change a thing,” Magnus replied.

 

They had both worn themselves out for the night as they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

 

 

 

 

~~~~~~

 

 

 

Magnus woke up the next morning feeling totally relaxed. He felt so warm inside, he quickly realized the heat was due to Alec’s body that Magnus was currently wrapped around.

 

As he began to stir and stretch in bed, he felt a satisfying soreness in his muscles. Alec must be a light sleeper, because he turned over almost immediately.

 

“Morning,” Alec said with a yawn.

 

“And good morning to you,” Magnus replied. “Can I interest you in some breakfast?”

 

Alec nodded with a smile, “Yea thanks, I’m starving actually.”

 

“Me too darling, we certainly worked up an appetite last night,” Magnus muttered as he moved from the bed. He went over to his closet to grab his robe and a pair of sweatpants for Alec in case he didn’t feel like putting his jeans back on this early.

 

Magnus was happy to see Alec grab the sweatpants and pull them over his hips, it would seem that Alec was okay with a lazy morning as well. He didn’t seem in any rush to run out of the apartment which Magnus was very glad about.

 

Magnus ended up making eggs, he chopped up some sausage and peppers to throw in with them. Alec was moaning as he ate so it definitely was a hit with him.

 

“I’m glad you like it,” Magnus hummed as he sipped his coffee.

 

“These are amazing eggs. Or maybe I’m just that hungry,” Alec giggled.

 

“You might just be that hungry, I’m not known for being the best of cooks,” Magnus added playfully.

 

They spent the rest of the morning just talking and relaxing on Magnus’s coach. Alec had Chairman Meow on his lap almost the whole time as he pet him softly. Magnus got Alec talking a bit more about his life and his siblings. And Magnus shared stories about his life in the fashion industry and his ideas about his own designs.

 

“Well, unfortunately I have lunch with a few friends in a couple hours so I’ll need to head in the shower and get ready. But this was so much fun, Alexander. We must do it again,” Magnus explained.

 

“Yea this was amazing, you’re amazing. Here put your number in,” Alec said as he gave his phone over to Magnus.

 

But he noticed Magnus sort of paused once he handed him the phone, “Oh…um… I think you might have an important message on here. Sorry, it just opened right to it,” Magnus mumbled.

 

Alec quickly grabbed the phone, his stomach dropped when he finally saw what he had been dreading.

 

**888-354-0988: Meet me at Pier 45 at the seaport docks Monday at 10 p.m. Don’t be late Lightwood.**

“Are you alright, darling?” Magnus asked concerned as he read the unhappiness on Alec’s face.

 

“I’m fine,” Alec said with a fake smile. He was not going to get Magnus involved in any of this. “Um…yea, so if you ever want to fuck again just let me know. I’ll get your number from Izzy and text you later. I’m gonna head out.” He quickly stood and headed towards the bedroom to grab his clothes.

 

Magnus was confused by the sudden urgency but tried not to think anything of it. He followed Alec back into the bedroom. “Are you sure everything is fine?” he couldn’t help but ask Alec.

 

Alec had quickly thrown on his clothes, he walked over to Magnus and have him one more kiss on the lips. “Everything is fine. Have fun with your friends today. I’ll let myself out if you want to jump in the shower.”

 

Magnus was still not convinced but he decided to let it go as he headed to the bathroom.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

 

Alec rushed out of Magnus’s loft as quick as he could. That text was something that he had been dreading to receive ever since he got out. Even though he had thought about facing Sebastian and the Circle for years now, he was still nervous as hell about what the consequences would be.

 

He knew he shouldn’t have bolted on Magnus like that, he probably thought that he was being an asshole just trying to avoid him. But the truth was, he had never felt a connection with someone like that before.

 

And not just a sexual attraction either. Besides his siblings, he had never really been able to open up to anyone before like he had with Magnus.

 

He decided to run back to Izzy and Simon’s place to relieve some of the anxiety that was creeping up around him. It was easier than he thought to rid his mind from his problems as it was occupied by thoughts of Magnus and their night together.

 

When Alec reached home, the sweat was dripping down his back from how far he had run. He was hoping to get into the shower immediately but unfortunately his sister had other plans. He was bombarded with questions as soon as he entered.

 

“What the hell do you think you’re doing? Did you even think this through? I mean he is my new coworker! Have you been with him this whole time?” Izzy was shouting as she paced back and forth in the living room.

 

Simon was sitting back on the couch, watching it all. He gave Alec an apologetic glance.

 

Alec should have known this was going to be a problem for Izzy from the look she had given him at the bar last night. “Iz, take a breath. You’re gonna give yourself a heart attack,” he said calmly.

 

Izzy walked over and cuddled in towards Simon’s side. “Look Alec, I’m sure you needed to…you know…de-stress. But I just don’t think doing it with Magnus was a good idea,” she explained more rationally.

 

Alec took a seat in the chair next to them. He took a deep breath in. “I’m not going to do anything to hurt Magnus, I promise. We both had fun last night. I’m going to leave it up to him on whether he wants to see me again. It was just friendly, I’m not gonna make him deal with any of my fucked up shit. So please, you don’t have to worry about it.”

 

Izzy scooted forward and grabbed a hold of his hand. “Hey, I didn’t mean to make you feel like you don’t deserve someone amazing, just because you have a complicated past. I think I just freaked out because I want to protect the both of you. I’m sorry, Alec. You know I love you.”

 

“Love you too, sis. Now please let me go shower.” Alec said as he made his way to the door.

 

He heard Simon mutter something crude about being covered in god knows what.

 

Alec didn’t mention the text from Sebastian to his sister. She was already stressing and he wasn’t going to make it worse. He already knew what she would want him to ignore it. But what she didn’t realize is that Sebastian is someone that you can’t just simply ignore.

 

After he showered he went into the kitchen to make himself something to eat. He saw his sister eyeing him from her spot on the couch.

 

“Okay, what did I do now?” he asked.

 

“Well, Magnus just texted me asking for your number. He said you sort of ran out on him in a rush this morning. What’s that about?” Izzy inquired.

 

Alec didn’t want to give anything away, “You can give it to him. And I didn’t run out, he had a lunch so I didn’t want him to think I was in his way.”

 

Izzy waved her hand as she walked away, “Fine, I’ll give it to him.”

 

Alec tried not to think too much about how excited he got when he learned that Magnus wanted his number. But it meant that he wanted to see him again, which was something Alec was definitely hoping for.

 

 

~~~~~~

 

 

Monday at work, Magnus was trying his best not to think about Alec. But their night together kept replaying in his mind. Ever kiss, lick and touch was driving Magnus crazy.

 

He didn’t want to seem desperate but he knew he needed to contact Alec soon to see if he wanted to meet up again. But Magnus hesitated, he remembered what the text read the other day and that Alec would be busy tonight with something else.

 

But he also didn’t see the harm in getting things started, maybe Alec would be free the following night.

 

So, on his lunch break he took out his phone and clicked on Alec’s contact. This was one of the rare lunches in the last few weeks that he did not spend with Isabelle. She had her head in a project and didn’t want to leave her desk.

 

**Magnus: Hello, Alexander. It’s Magnus, your sister gave me your number. Hope that was okay?**

 

Magnus’s heart was beating fast as he waited for Alec to respond, luckily he didn’t have to wait long before he heard the familiar ping from his phone.

 

**Alec: Hey there, yea she told me. I was hoping you would reach out.**

**Magnus: If I’m being honest I’m having trouble concentrating on anything today, when all I can think about is our night together.**

**Alec: Glad to see I’m not the only one. You were amazing Magnus.**

Well, this was turning out much better than Magnus had expected. Clearly, Alec had been just as affected as he had about everything.

 

**Magnus: Well then we should meet up again soon, gorgeous.**

Alec’s reply took a bit longer this time.

 

**Alec: Are you free after work? I wouldn’t be able to stay the night but I can be very productive with a small amount of time ;)**

Magnus’s mind began to wander. He was most definitely free. And if he wasn’t he would have made himself free.

 

**Magnus: Oh god yes. Come by my place around 6?**

**Alec: I’ll see you then.**

Magnus leaned back in his office chair. He couldn’t believe that only three days ago, he had never even met this man. And now he was someone consuming Magnus’s every thought.

 

Magnus tried to keep his thoughts at bay. He knew Alec likely didn’t want to be in a relationship and he didn’t want to get his hopes up. He could do friends with benefits, he knew he could, he had done it before. But he had never done it with anyone like Alec before.

 

 

 

~~~~~~

 

 

 

Alec knew the only way he was going to get through the rest of the day before having to confront Sebastian was by keeping his mind occupied. He didn’t want to be at Izzy’s apartment, knowing that she would be able to see the worry on his face.

 

Being with Magnus was just what he needed, the other night he felt completely lost in the moment with him. Whether they were fucking or talking it was like they were the only two people in existence.

 

He eagerly rang the bell to Magnus’s apartment, and after only a moment it buzzed so he could go on up.

 

Magnus looked incredible when he opened the door.  He had on a dark purple shirt that was mostly unbuttoned showing off his chest, and black skinny jeans. He was wearing a long necklace that dangled down towards his stomach. Alec couldn’t help but picture him wearing this and only this.

 

“Hey, how was work today?” Alec said casually as he walked in towards the kitchen.

 

Magnus handed him a whiskey neat. Alec took a sip and welcomed the smooth, warm liquid into his system.

 

“It was good. Oh, and your sister is adorable, she got her first solo project today and she didn’t pick her head up for her desk at all,” Magnus replied.

 

Alec smiled thinking about how much Izzy was liking her job. He only wanted the best for her. “Yea, she seems to be really happy there. And I should thank you, I know she wouldn’t be settling in so well if it wasn’t for you either.”

 

Magnus scoffed, “Are you kidding? Isabelle was born to work in fashion. Maybe I can afford to hire her someday if I can ever get my own designs off the ground.”

 

“Well, Izzy told me that you are super talented so I have no doubt she’d want to be a part of that,” Alec said.

 

They talked on the couch for a while. Magnus showed Alec some of his designs that he had drawn out. And even Alec could tell how beautiful and intricate they were.

 

“They’re beautiful Magnus just like you are,” Alec praised as he ran his hand over the drawing again.

 

“Well, thank you Alexander. Compliments are always good motivation to keep sketching,” Magnus replied as he leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek.

 

That small amount of contact was more than enough to ignite that feeling between them. They both stared into each other’s eyes for a moment solidifying their intentions before they crashed their mouths together.

 

Alec pushed Magnus back by his shoulders so that he could angle himself on top of him. He moved his lips down towards Magnus’s neck sucking and licking as he went. His hands made fast work on the remaining buttons of his shirt.

 

Magnus moaned as Alec kissed down his body. He had his shirt off before he even realized what was happening. Magnus was determined not to have a repeat of last time. Magnus had been so lost that he didn’t even realize that Alec was still fully clothed before he had already gotten off.

 

He pushed Alec’s shirt up until it reached his arms. Alec lifted his head from his chest and pulled it over his head and threw it somewhere on the floor.

 

“Making sure we are on more even terms this time, huh?” Alec teased.

 

“Definitely going to try,” Magnus replied as he captured Alec’s mouth once more.

 

Their kisses were a mixture of lips, teeth, and tongue as they giggled and smiled as they let their hands explore each other’s chest.

 

Alec had taken a special liking to Magnus’s necklace around his neck that had a silver small star-like charm on the end of it.

Alec’s lips captured the charm in his mouth and grazed it over Magnus’s nipple causing a hungry groan from him.

 

Magnus couldn’t wait any longer he started to grind his hips up to create some friction. Alec seemed pleased as he copied his movements.

 

They were already getting hot and sweaty and they weren’t even naked yet. “Darling, if we keep this up. We’ll be getting off like two teenagers spilling in our pants.”

 

Alec laughed, “Hey, you were the one who started grinding. Wanna move to the bed?”

 

Magnus nodded with a smile, “Yes, definitely.”

 

In the short walk from the couch to the bedroom, they had removed all remaining clothing, their eager bodies not wanting anything in the way of each other’s hands.

 

Magnus loved Alec’s dominant side to him during sex. He wasn’t even sure if he was aware of it but it was such a turn on.

 

Magnus felt his legs hit the bed behind him, he went to lean back but felt Alec’s hand catch him gently from behind.

 

“Turn around baby, up on all fours,” Alec said.

 

Magnus gave a sly smile as he turned his body around. As he put his knee on the bed to climb up he pushed his ass out towards Alec. As intended, he watched Alec’s eyes widen in pleasure.

 

Alec waited until Magnus made his way onto the bed. He had reached for a pillow to put under him to help prop himself up on all fours. He turned to watch Alec walk to the bedside table to grab what he needed.

 

Alec had an amazing body, as he walked each of his muscles flexed and tensed in just the right way. His dark tattoos glistened against his pale skin.

 

Alec finally made it on the bed, he positioned himself behind Magnus and stroked along the side of his hip softly. He took a moment to just admire the beautiful man in front of him.

 

“Alexander… please touch me,” Magnus pleaded.

 

Alec smirked and reached down for the bottle of lube he had gotten. He coated both his hands and reached between Magnus’s legs. He grabbed hold of Magnus’s cock and began to stroke downward hard and fast.

 

Magnus immediately began to moan and squirm from Alec’s movements. He was pleased to see that Alec had begun to stroke his own cock with the other hand at the same time. Alec leaned down to kiss Magnus’s lower back gently.

 

Alec’s strokes were fast and rough. Magnus was not going to last very long if he kept this up.

 

“Alexander…uh… you need to stop or I’m going to come. I want you inside me.” Magnus said breathlessly.

 

Alec wanted to make Magnus feel as incredible as possible. So he reluctantly released his own cock while continuing his ministrations on Magnus’s. He took his other hand and pushed two fingers into Magnus’s ass.

 

He knew Magnus was already close to the edge so he tried his best to prepare him as quickly as possible while remaining thorough. He scissored his fingers out and in as he contently listened to Magnus’s groans.

 

Alec added a third finger and curled them inside him to reach his sweet spot. He never let up his motions on Magnus’s cock either. The man in front of him looked to be a wreck as his body twitched underneath him with every stroke

 

Alec was planning on entering him but he was having way too much fun watching him get this much pleasure from just his fingers.

 

Alec smirked, he knew exactly what he wanted to do to finish Magnus. He kissed and licked his lower back heading down towards his ass. He sucked and left small bruises along the way.

 

When he got to Magnus’s entrance he pushed his tongue inside as best he could. Alec had been going for so long now that his hands were beginning to cramp, but he never stopped. Instead, he went harder and faster until he felt Magnus’s cum spill over his hand as he panted out loud in pleasure.

 

“Oh, darling,” Magnus screamed out as he came. Once again Alec worked him through completely before pulling his hands off of him.

 

Magnus fell onto his stomach and rolled over to his side. Once he opened his eyes to admire his amazing lover, he realized that he had done it again.

 

“Oh no, Alexander. You are still hard. What the hell do you do to me? It’s like you put me in a trance,” Magnus said with a light blush on his cheeks.

 

“It was my choice baby, I was having too much fun watching you.”

 

Magnus pushed Alec down onto his back and straddled his legs. “You are a very selfless lover, Alexander. Now lay back and relax.”

 

Alec was more than happy to let Magnus take over. He was painfully hard at this point. Without wasting time, Magnus wrapped his lips around his cock and began to suck.

 

Alec instinctually lifted his hips up to meet Magnus’s mouth. Magnus placed his hands on either side to keep him at bay. He licked down the back of his shaft towards his balls. He moved one hand down to massage them gently.

 

Magnus had licked back up and took Alec in his mouth as much as he could before making a swallowing motion with his throat.

 

Alec seemed to prefer to try and keep quiet during sex. He let out stifled grunts at times but mostly he tried to bite his bottom lip in protest. Magnus wanted to hear him but was too busy with his mouth to let him know at the moment.

 

“Baby, I’m…” was all Alec had gotten out before he came inside Magnus’s mouth. He happily swallowed and worked him through his climax until the end.

 

“Magnus that was incredible,” Alec praised as he lifted Magnus up towards his side so that he could kiss him.

 

“Same to you, darling.” Magnus replied as he stroked circles into Alec’s chest. They laid together for a while in bed just enjoying each other’s company.

 

After a while, Alec began to squirm underneath him. “Um, Magnus…do you know what time it is?

 

Magnus leaned over to his phone on the table. “It’s 8:30 p.m.”

 

Alec seemed to look stressed when Magnus told him what time is was. “Hey, would I be able to use your shower? It’s just…well… I need to get somewhere later and I rather not head back home before.”

 

“Of course, darling,” Magnus got up from the bed and handed Alec a towel from the closet. “Everything you’ll need is in the shower, and I’ll collect your scattered clothes and put them on the counter for you.”

 

“Thanks, I appreciate it,” Alec said as he walked over to the bathroom. He tried to calm his nerves as the hot water rolled down his back.

 

He got dressed and walked into the kitchen where Magnus was sitting with Chairman Meow and a cup of tea. He looked up and smiled as he entered. “Would you like one?” he asked gesturing to the mug.

 

“No thanks, I should really get going… Magnus again… you um…. are incredible” Alec replied.

 

“As are you Alexander. Well, I should let you get going then,” Magnus stood and walked over to Alec and gave him a small kiss on the lips. But he looked down hesitantly, Alec could tell Magnus wanted to say something more.

 

“Um… I know this isn’t any of my business but… is everything okay with your meeting coming up? Will you be safe?” Magnus asked. He wasn’t sure if Alec was going to be mad at his nosiness. He just was so worried that Alec was about to do something stupid and/or dangerous.

 

Alec reached up and lifted Magnus’s chin. “I’ll be fine, Magnus. And um… could you not mention that I had a meeting to Izzy. She’ll just worry and I don’t want her to stress her out.”

 

Magnus sighed, “You are not making me feel very confident about letting you walk out this door, Alexander.”

 

Alec’s eyes seemed to grow a little colder. He dropped his hand and backed away from Magnus towards the door. “Look, I need to go. I’ll text you tomorrow to see when you are free again. Please, don’t worry yourself about me. Believe me, I’m not worth it.”

 

And with that, Alec had turned and left the apartment. Magnus couldn’t believe what he had just heard. How could Alec think he wasn’t worth it? Magnus knew Alec was probably about to do something involving the circle and it was making him nervous as hell.

 

He walked over to the couch and sat down. Magnus didn’t get much sleep that night as he mulled over whether to call Isabelle or not and let her know where her brother was.

 

 

 

~~~~~~

 

 

 

Alec focused on his steps on the city streets, luckily he would get there right on time. He didn’t want to show up late and have Sebastian thinking he was standing him up, that would only make his temper worse.

 

It took Alec all he had to leave Magnus’s apartment, he so badly wanted to stay all night in the safety of his bed. He had no choice but to push Magnus away when he tried to pry into Alec’s plans for tonight. He promised himself that he wouldn’t get him caught up in any of this.

 

He had finally reached the familiar set of warehouses belonging to the Circle. He wasn’t sure if he was meeting him inside or out by the water. But he could hear voices and even laughter out by the docks so he decided to check their first.

 

The group started shouting as soon as Alec turned the corner.

 

“Alec! Get over here man. How does it feel to finally be free?” Sebastian shouted as he walked over to him.

 

Alec knew he was just putting up a front. Sebastian had to of known that he didn’t want to stay around after talking with Aldertree about his behavior inside when he tried to break off from the group. Sebastian’s eyes would always give him away, they were cold and dark and void of any real expression or emotion.

 

“It feels good, Seb. It feels really good.” Alec gave him a small hug, he was willing to play nice if it kept things cordial. Alec looked towards the two others standing with them. “Hey Raj, Jordan. Good to see you guys.”

 

“You too Lightwood. Although you didn’t look too happy to see me the other day when I dropped by,” Raj countered.

 

“Yea I wasn’t. You came to my home, you were gonna get me sent back to Idris if my parole officer saw you with me,” Alec said sternly.

Raj rolled his eyes, “You’re just being paranoid, man.”

 

Alec stepped forward into Raj’s space. “I don’t give a fuck what you think, just stay away from my sister’s apartment okay. I’m not gonna say it again.”

 

“Okay, okay Alec, you made your point. Let’s all relax,” Sebastian scoffed as he put a hand on either man and pushed them apart. “Raj, don’t be so insensitive. Alec is still adjusting to being out.”

 

Alec took a deep breath in and tried to choose his words as carefully as he could. “I’m pretty adjusted, Seb. I just don’t want to do anything that is going to get me sent back to prison. In fact, I think I’d be safer if I just stopped working with you guys.”

 

Everything got eerily quiet once Alec had spoken. Raj and Jordan’s heads snapped towards Sebastian to see what his reaction would be. Alec’s heart was beating so loud he was sure the others could hear it.

 

Sebastian smiled and put his hand on Alec’s shoulder. “Come here a sec, let’s talk.”

 

Alec followed him over to the edge of the water. He started to think he was about to be drowned and never heard from again. “Just hear me out for a sec. I’ve been away for 5 years now, you guys have been doing fine without me. So it doesn’t make much of a difference if I just walk away from things now,” Alec pleaded.

 

“Oh really, so you think we should just let you go. You really think you can just turn your back on the Circle, my father, your parents, the vows you took when getting your first rune? You must be fucking joking me,” Sebastian shouted angrily.

 

Alec was about to reply when Sebastian interrupted him, he had a sly smile on his face. “Look, I know you are just somebody that needs proper motivation. I’ll up your monthly income in your account now that you’re out and will be doing more for the organization. We’ll take care if you.”

 

Alec sighed, “It’s not about the money or our parents. It’s about me, I want to change and not be dragged back down to becoming some violent soldier again.

 

“Well, I’m sorry you feel that way. I guess you can just go then,” Sebastian said calmly.

 

“What?” Alec said before realizing he said it.

 

“Well obviously I’m not going to be able to change your mind so yea you can just go,” Sebastian said again.

 

Alec wasn’t really buying it but he didn’t think sticking around any longer was a good idea either so he turned to walk away. But he quickly heard Sebastian’s voice again.

 

“So, will you head back to that guy’s house again you’ve been fucking?” he said.

 

Alec turned back quickly and stepped in closer towards him, “Are you following me?”

 

Sebastian put his hands up as a sign of innocence. “Well, not me. But someone close to me is. Maybe I’ll pay a visit to your new friend to help motivate you to stay.”

 

Fuck and there it was. Sebastian knew he couldn’t get Alec to stay on his own but he could use the people around him against him.

 

“Or maybe I’ll just visit that gorgeous sister of yours instead. I still can’t believe she picked some fucking science nerd. I’ll just have to get him out of the way and take his place. You and I can be brother in laws.”

 

“You stay the fuck away from my sister!” Alec shouted.

 

“And I will, if you cooperate with me. I want you back Alec, you are a good soldier and I won’t let you walk away from me,” Sebastian stated coldly.

 

Alec didn’t expect for tonight to turn out like this. He was ready to accept any consequences that were directed at himself but not at his family. Sebastian was going off script, the Circle had always deemed family’s untouchable and now he had threatened three people he cared about in a matter of a minute.

 

He sat on the ledge and rubbed his hands together nervously. He had no choice but to stay. “Fine… what are we doing tonight?”

 

Sebastian nodded his head, “Good choice brother, let’s get back to the others and we’ll discuss our mission.”

 

Alec wanted to scream but with everything he had, he kept it together. What kind of person threatens your family and then calls you brother in the same conversation? Alec would go along with things for now for his family’s sake and think about his next move later.

 

 

 

~~~~~~

 

 

 

So Alec once again found himself going on a mission with his old crew. They were going to break into some big corporate office so that they could download software that would hack their entire system.

 

He wasn’t sure if the circle would make their actions known immediately to the company for ransom or if they’d wait and collect data from the company before making a move.

 

Jordan got them through the door undetected in no time, they ended up on one of the top floors in a fancy office that probably belonged to one of the higher-ups at the company.

 

Sebastian and Raj got busy working on the computer part while Alec and Jordan stood guard.

 

“Hey, turn the light off. Someone’s outside the office, I can hear noises,” Jordan said quickly.

 

Alec’s head shot up, he really didn’t want them to get caught. But unfortunately, it seemed that fate was against them as they heard the door to the office open.

 

Jordan shot up from his place crouching on the floor and grabbed the body of the person who entered the room and pushed him to the ground. He had a gun pointed at the guy’s head before Alec could even blink.

 

“Don’t scream!” Sebastian instructed. He even giggled when he noticed the guy was the overnight janitor for the building. “What the fuck are you doing in here?”

 

The man looked terrified. He was stuttering as he spoke, “When I vacuumed earlier I noticed this office needed the trash removed so I came back to get it. Please don’t hurt me, I didn’t see anything.”

 

“Well don’t be so good at your job next time and maybe you wouldn’t be in this situation,” Sebastian taunted.

 

Alec knew this guy would likely be dead if he didn’t come up with something fast. “Hey, let me take care of him. I’m not going back to prison because some fucking janitor needed to take out the trash,” he lied to the group.

 

Sebastian looked him over suspiciously, “Are you sure you’re up to this? Maybe you should let Jordan take care of him.”

 

“No I’m sure. I told you I’m in, just let me handle it. I’ll feel better knowing this guy can’t tell a soul that he saw us here.”

 

Alec grabbed the guy and hoisted him up. Jordan leaned forward to give him the gun in his hands. Alec grabbed it and pointed it at the man’s back. “Now walk and keep your mouth shut.”

 

Once they were out of the office, he walked down the hall as quickly as he could until he made it back to the elevator. The man had tears in his eye and kept muttering to him not to kill him.

 

“Shhh, stop talking,” Alec said in the elevator.

 

“Please don’t, please. I have a family, a wife, and three kids,” the man pleaded.

 

They made it outside the building near the loading docks. The man was shaking as he walked. Once Alec saw that it was clear he pushed the man forward towards the street. “Go, get the fuck out of here.”

 

The man looked confused, “What? You are letting me go?”

 

Alec rolled his eyes, “Yes, now hurry up and run. When the others get down here I don’t want them to see me talking you, then there’d really be no way for me to save you.”

 

The man thanked him and ran towards the street. Alec knew that he had just risked his own freedom but he wasn’t going to let Sebastian control him any longer. If he was going to be stuck pretending to be the perfect soldier, then he was going to try and fuck up any mission that he had as best he could.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The week had gone by painfully slow for Alec, he had been ignoring Magnus’s requests to hang out ever since Sebastian had threatened him that night. Alec hated that he had known about them and he couldn’t help but think that it would be better for Magnus if he just stopped seeing him altogether. At least until he figured out how to get rid of the violent people around him that were a threat to him and his family.

 

Alec had also been so anxious all week that he was having a hard time focusing. Two days after he had helped the Circle, their actions were made known to the world in the shape of 15 million dollars in ransom for the tech company’s data back.

 

It only took the company a couple of hours to come up with the money, apparently whatever they had in their system, they felt worth it to protect, even for a ridiculously large amount of money.

 

He felt nothing but shame when a sum of $500,000 dollars was deposited into his secret bank account. He remembered when that kind of money used to make him proud. His parents used to call him up and congratulate him on a job well done. And now, all he felt was sick. He wanted nothing more than to give every cent of it back.

 

The only good thing that was happening this week was the fact that it seemed like the janitor was keeping quiet. It had been more than enough time for him to tell the police about them, but so far it had remained unknown from what he saw on the news. Of course, they had speculated that the Circle was involved but from any source he saw, it didn’t seem they had any leads.

 

He headed into Izzy’s apartment after doing errands most of the afternoon. He had walked around the city just exploring for a couple hours as well. Ever since he got out, he found it hard to stay in one place for too long. He knows it had to do with being so confined for such a long time so he was trying to find healthy ways of dealing with it.

 

As soon as he entered the apartment, he heard glasses clinking and people laughing. His siblings and their partners were gathered around the island. Izzy shrieked when she noticed him by the door.

 

“Alec! Come celebrate with us. My boss is using my first solo project for the next issue, I still can’t believe it!” she yelled as she jumped up and down.

 

“That’s amazing, Iz. I’m so proud of you,” he said as he picked her up and twirled her around.

 

Their brief moment was interrupted by a voice that Alec would know anywhere, “Oh my god, that is so adorable.”

 

He turned to see Magnus standing by the counter near the fridge. He had on an incredibly tight pair of black leather pants. His eyes were lined with a beautiful sparkly blue color.

 

Alec knew he could resist Magnus if he kept him at distance and stayed away from him but seeing him standing before him like this was melting any resolve Alec had left.

“Hey, Magnus. How are you?” Alec muttered awkwardly.

 

“Hey yourself, Alexander. I could be wrong but I do believe you are avoiding me?” Magnus said in a teasing tone, low enough where only he could hear.

 

Alec wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him closer into his body. It was like they had a magnetic attraction between them drawing them together, Alec couldn’t help himself but make physical contact.

 

He leaned in to whisper into his ear, “I don’t think I could stay away from you even if I wanted too.”

 

Magnus’s body seemed to stiffen in return, the tension between them was building rapidly. The only thing stopping the two men were the people standing in the room around them, which they were quickly reminded of.

 

“Alright, alright. Can you two control yourselves please!” Izzy teased from her place in the kitchen by Simon’s side.

 

Alec created some space between them as quick as he could. He didn’t like getting caught in his intimate moments with Magnus. That version of Alec was reserved for Magnus and Magnus only.

 

The whole room giggled at his reaction and no doubt the redness of his face. Luckily Jace came to the rescue.

 

“Relax, man. You know she’s just kidding. Don’t bust his balls, Iz. You know Alec’s a private guy,” Jace said in his defense.

 

Izzy seemed to notice how uncomfortable he was getting so she brushed it off and made a change in conversation back to fashion, and Alec couldn’t have been more grateful.

 

They toasted the big news and continued to celebrate as much as they could. Alec couldn’t help himself, he just felt happier and lighter when he was around Magnus. Both Clary and Izzy were getting visibly tipsy from all the champagne after some time so Alec went to the fridge to see if they had any snacks to help soak up the alcohol in their system.

 

But that unfortunately that was the ending of their good night together.

 

 

 

~~~~~~

 

 

 

Magnus had been so excited when Izzy asked him over to her place after work. He was over the moon for his new friend about her accomplishments. But to be honest with himself, he was crazy excited about seeing Alec again.

 

The two had texted here and there during the last week but things seemed to be slowing down a bit between them which Magnus was not happy about.

 

He knew this would be the perfect opportunity to get things moving again in the right direction.

 

They had all been laughing and celebrating for a while now. Alec had kept his distance after their initial greeting but their eyes kept meeting in small glances more than they probably should have. He was hoping that Alec was dying to be alone together just as much as he was.

 

Simon was telling them all a hilarious story about someone at work when Magnus noticed Alec step away into the kitchen to cut up some fruit and cheese for everybody.

 

He had only been gone a moment before there was a loud knock at the front door of the apartment. Magnus couldn’t make out what the person was saying until the voice got even louder.

 

“Police! You need to open the door.”

 

The smile instantly dropped on everyone’s faces. Magnus felt a pit in his stomach like he never had before.

 

Before Magnus could even say anything to stop him, Simon ran over to open the door. Magnus knew he probably didn’t even realize what he was doing, but he had done it before anyone could have even warned Alec of what was happening.

 

A tall, dark-haired man with a large silver badge on his buckle pushed into the apartment like he owned the place followed by two officers in uniform.

 

Magnus felt frozen from his spot on the couch as he watched them come forward into the living room. Alec’s face was one of pure pain when he noticed the men in the apartment.

 

“Alec, you need to come with me right now,” the man said in a forceful tone.

 

“Am I under arrest?” Alec said as he slowly made his way back towards the group. His face was nearly expressionless as he talked with the cop.

 

“Not yet, Lightwood. But it doesn’t look good. I need you for a line-up. We have a witness to the B & E and ransom demand of the tech company that occurred on Monday. The witness was able to describe the suspects in a lot of detail. Each were men, and each had runes,” the man paused for a moment before continuing.

 

Magnus could have sworn he even saw remorse in the man’s face. “He said one of them had a large rune on their neck. So, based on that we need to bring you in. You’ve been my best parolee yet so I’m really hoping this is a misunderstanding but I’ve been wrong about people before.”

 

Alec seemed to have just accepted what was about to happen. He looked to be stone-cold and began walking slowly towards the other cops in a daze. He turned back from a moment to give Magnus and his family a look that he knew he never wanted to see again. It was a look of I’m sorry and goodbye.

 

Magnus wasn’t sure what exactly came over him but before he could even think about it, he stood from his place on the couch.

 

“Wait, he couldn’t have done this. Alexander spent the night at my place on Monday,” Magnus lied. The words had come out so easy that Magnus was surprised at how terrified he felt inside at his actions.

 

Alec’s eyes widened but he remained silent. His parole officer came in towards Magnus and gave him a long stare.

 

“He was at your place the whole night on Monday?”

 

Magnus nodded again, “Yes. We spent the whole night together.” His heart was pounding out of his chest, he was really hoping that no one else could hear it.

 

The cop turned to look at Alec, “Is this true?”

 

Alec looked directly into Magnus’s eyes before answering with a cold, dark look. He could have sworn he even looked angry at him.

 

“It’s true, Alaric. I stayed at his place the whole night.”

 

The man looked a bit relieved by this news, “Fine, I’ll be going then. I’ll see you at our next appointment then.” He simply gestured to the other officers and then walked out.

 

Everyone in the room remained quiet for a few minutes after they left just sitting there in shock.

 

Alec walked back towards them and sat on the chair beside them. He slowly turned towards him, “Why the fuck did you just do that?”

 

Magnus looked up a bit stunned at the question. He opened his mouth to answer but the words didn’t seem to want to come out.

 

“Magnus, answer me!” Alec shouted loudly.

 

“Do not yell at him, Alec!” Izzy shouted back. “I’m assuming by your anger that what you told them was not the truth?”

 

“I…I had to. You would have gone back to prison,” Magnus muttered as quietly as he could.

 

That statement seemed to stir the pot enough where everyone in the room started to shout at Alec at once.

 

“What the fuck Alec! You pulled a job with them already?” Jace asked.

 

“I can’t believe you would do this. Do you want to go back to prison?” Izzy shouted.

 

“How did this happen, man? I thought you were doing alright,” Simon said.

 

Poor Alec looked as if he was ready to explode. “Can everyone please shut up!”

 

It seemed to do the trick as the room quieted down. Alec rubbed his hands together before getting up and heading to the kitchen.

 

He came back with a beer bottle and sat back down to face the group. Magnus had no idea what was coming but he was hoping it was a good explanation for why Alec had done this.

 

Magnus couldn’t help but feel guilty for letting Alec leave that night, if he had just made him stay over for real then none of this would have happened.

 

Alec took a few sips of his drink before starting to explain the events of Monday night. It had taken him a while to get through it all before he was done. “… Look you guys, I wouldn’t have done it if I had thought there was another way to keep you all safe. I just… I just don’t know how to get out of this without someone getting hurt.”

 

Magnus’s heart was breaking at hearing how trapped Alec felt in all of this. He so badly wanted to come up with a solution that would save him from all of this.

 

“I don’t get it though, families have always been off limits to circle members. Why would Sebastian break his own father’s rules?” Izzy asked.

 

“He’s evil, Iz. I really think it’s that simple. Sebastian has never cared about rules, he is a violent person and short of killing him which in turn would get me killed, I really don’t know how to handle him,” Alec said.

 

“This is a fucking mess,” Jace stated angrily. “How could we have ever thought that getting you out of this all was going to be easy?”

 

The group had stayed huddled together for a while longer trying to come up with solutions. But none of their ideas seemed to fit perfectly together and a lot of them were pretty risky. After a while, Alec had told them he was too tired to think about it anymore, which Magnus could understand because he too was getting frustrated.

 

Magnus moved to say his goodbyes to everyone before heading towards the door.

 

“Wait up,” Alec called to him. “Can I come back with you,” he said evenly.

 

Magnus had thought that Alec had been treating him a little coldly since he had told his parole officer that he was with him Monday night, so he was surprised that Alec had even asked. But he was so glad that he did.

 

“Of course, darling.”

 

Alec had been very quiet on the way back to Magnus’s place. When they got inside Magnus immediately went to feed Chairman before heading into the living room with two drinks for them.

 

“Hey, you’re being so quiet? Tell me what’s going on in that head of yours?” Magnus asked as he handed a drink to Alec.

 

Alec swiftly moved to put the drink on the coffee table, “What’s in my head, Magnus?” Alec said sternly.

 

“I’m just trying to fucking figure out what made you do something so reckless as you did tonight!” Alec had stood up and was pacing around in front of him.

 

“You will never put yourself on the line like that again for me. Do you understand me?”

 

Magnus hadn’t quite expected this reaction from him, “I’m sorry if it made you feel uncomfortable, Alexander. I just couldn’t let you go back there.”

 

“Uncomfortable? Magnus, I can’t have you putting yourself in danger like that. You could have been the one going to prison if he had decided to still take me to the station. I care about you too much to let anything happen to you.”

 

Alec crouched down in front of Magnus on the couch, “God, I could spank you right now. You make me crazy with how much I feel for you.”

 

Magnus’s ears perked up at the sound of that. He wasn’t sure if Alec meant what he had said in a playful way but that was exactly how he had taken it. “Oh, I definitely feel like I need to be taught a lesson.”

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been such a long time since I've written anything for this story. I am so excited to be back!
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me :)

 

Chapter 12

 

 

It had been a few months now since Alec had been out of prison and he was no closer to figuring out a solution for dealing with the Circle.

 

More than once, he just wanted to forget all about his plans for a different life. It would be so much easier if he just let himself continue down the path of inevitable self-destruction.

 

But the one thing that kept him going each day was Magnus. Alec never imagined that his relationship with him would have continued beyond the first few weeks. He kept waiting for Magnus to end things when he finally realized that he was way too good for him.

 

Alec laid on his back in Magnus’s bed, his chest still heaving from the intense round of sex they had just engaged in for the last four hours.

 

“Alexander?” Magnus called from the bathroom. “Can you come in here please?”

 

Alec headed towards the bathroom right away, concerned that Magnus may need his help. “Coming, babe. You alright?”

 

Everything seemed fine as he entered, Magnus looked content as ever in a huge claw foot tub. “Well don’t you look comfy. You want me to get you a drink?” Alec asked.

 

But Magnus didn’t want Alec to go anywhere. “Nope, don’t you dare walk out that room. I want you in here with me,” he said as he moved his hands slowly over the water.

 

Alec didn’t hesitate for a second before stepping into the tub. Magnus scooted forward to make room for him, so he could straddle him from behind. Magus laid his head back onto his chest and hummed.

 

“Comfy?” Alec asked. He began to massage Magnus’s shoulders with soft pressure.

 

“Try exhausted. You, my dear, have an insatiable appetite. Now, don’t think I’m complaining, it’s just that I’m finding the best ways in which to rest my muscles for you.”

 

Magnus leaned his head upward and started to nibble softly on Alec’s chin. “You know, I never really used my tub. I didn’t realize what I was missing,” Magnus added.

 

Alec moved his hands slowly down towards Magnus’s stomach, “I can think of a lot of fun things we can do in this tub,” he said suggestively.

 

He let his hands travel down his soft skin towards his legs, reveling in the quiet moans Magnus was making as Alec moved.

 

He firmly grasped his thighs and rubbed up and down softly to work out Magnus’s sore muscles. He knew Magnus was looking for more when he inched backward grinding his body against his.

 

Alec loved when Magnus was like this, it was like they were the only two people to exist in the world. When he was with Magnus, Alec felt safe in their bubble and he honestly didn’t think he could ever live without. It was a thought that had definitely been making him think more and more about what he wanted in life.

 

Being how things are, Alec would never want to put Magnus in a situation where he would have to deal with Alec’s actions or repercussions that stemmed from his position in the Circle.

 

For now, a relationship with Magnus would just have to be the dream that he inspired to have one day.

 

He was removed from his thoughts in an instant when he felt Magnus’s hand wrap around his member firmly and begin to stroke up and down. He let out a large breath as his pleasure intensified.

 

“Mmmhh… For a minute there I thought my actions weren’t affecting you anymore,” Magnus said teasingly as he turned to face him and kissed down the line of his jaw.

 

Alec smiled and surged forward to capture Magnus’s lips in a searing kiss. “Not a chance, Magnus,” he said breathlessly when they finally separated from one another for air.

 

They tried their best in the tub for as long as they could before Alec got frustrated with the lack of space. “Baby… come on… we gotta get out of here,” he explained as he interrupted Magnus from trying to descend onto Alec’s cock in a rather interesting position.

 

“No… I swear… I think we almost have it. If I put my leg over the side of the tub then I think we’ll be in business,” he said with a wink.

 

Alec had to laugh at Magnus’s eagerness but it just wasn’t going to happen. They were much too large to get anything accomplished in such a small space.

 

“That won’t be at all comfortable for you,” he gestured towards Magnus’s calf. “And, I still won’t be able to move much,” he added.

 

Magnus huffed but began to stand, “Fine… we can move to the bed,” he said with a disappointed expression on his face.

 

Alec knew Magnus was just teasing him. But he also knew that Magnus loved when he surprised him so once they were both out of the tub, Alec grabbed Magnus’s wrist and pulled him towards the bathroom counter.

 

He grabbed a hold of Magnus’s hips and hoisted him up on top of it, watching him giggle in response. He leaned towards his ear, “I didn’t say anything about needing a bed,” he whispered.

 

Magnus raised his eyebrows in response and hooked his leg around Alec’s waist to bring him forward.

 

He lined himself up to Magnus’s entrance and pushed in slowly. He was still open from there long night together but he still took his time. Making Magnus feel good was one of Alec’s favorite things to do, he loved watching him un-ravel beneath him.

 

Not before long, Magnus was pleaded for him to go faster. He took the first few motions slowly before picking up the pace. They both soon lost their minds as they moved and grinded against each other wildly.

 

Magnus’s hands helping to hold himself up were hitting into all of his beauty products on the counter and being thrown in different directions on the floor and in the sink.

 

Alec knew exactly where to aim in Magnus’s body to drive him wild. He was panting heavily as he tightened his muscle around Alec’s cock, he had never felt anything as amazing before.

 

Magnus came first as he released intensely all over his stomach. And Alec followed shortly behind after a few more pumps. He took a moment to catch his breath before removing himself from Magnus.

 

Alec watched as Magnus continued to breath heavily, the man looked completely wrecked, he had his head slumped over leaning against the bathroom mirror, his eyes closed in fatigue.

 

“Come on… let me take you to bed,” Alec suggested as he reached forward to help him up.

 

Magnus’s eyes remained closed, “Hmm… but… the mess… I need to clean up and make sure none of my products spilled,” he said lazily.

 

Alec chuckled, “I’ll clean up, baby. You need to rest,” he insisted as he wrapped his arms around him for support and led him towards the bedroom.

 

The minute Magnus’s head hit the pillow he nodded off to sleep. Alec could hear the rhythmic breathing of his chest and pulled the blanket on top of him before heading back into the bathroom to see what the damage was.

 

 

 

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jace had been having an influx of emotions all day, luckily the wait was finally over as he arrived at the bar he was meeting Alec at.

 

He took a table way in the corner so that they could talk, it seemed secluded enough in case things got loud. He really didn’t know how things would go from this discussion but he was hoping that Alec could see things from his perspective and learn to be happy for them.

 

The pace of his heart rate quickened when Alec entered through the door. He waved him over and immediately asked him for his drink order to hopefully soften him up.

 

“Here you go, man, whiskey on the rocks,” he gestured towards the drink in his hands.

 

“Thanks, Jace,” Alec responded as he took a sip off the top.

 

Jace made sure to work in some small talk first, he asked Alec about how he was feeling, and he made sure to ask about Magus. Alec always seemed to light up the most when he talked about Magnus, even though he insisted they were just friends each time he asked.

 

Jace was trying his best to sit still but he knew Alec was picking up on his nervousness. He was fidgeting with his beer bottle when his brother finally seemed to have enough of the stalling.

 

“Okay, Jace. What’s up? You are acting really strange,” Alec inquired as he sat back in his chair as if to say Jace had the floor.

 

He cleared his throat, “Well…um… I guess I should start off by sharing the good news first…” he said as he looked up to gage Alec’s reaction.

 

His brother didn’t say anything but he gestured with his hands for him to continue as he nursed his drink.

 

“You know how Clary and I went to that cabin for a few days last week to celebrate her Birthday. Well… I finally did something that I’ve been wanting to do for like a really long time… and well, Clary and I are engaged!”

 

Alec immediately dropped his drink on the table and stood to come around and give Jace a huge hug. “That’s so awesome. I’m so happy for you guys,” he exclaimed.

 

“But… I don’t get it. Why did you seem so nervous to tell me?” Alec inquired as he sat back down across from him.

 

Jace had been dreading this part for a while now but he knew that Alec deserved the truth. He didn’t want to have any secrets come between them.

 

“Well… there is something I haven’t told you yet about Clary and I’m really hoping that you keep an open mind,” he asked him.

 

“Okay… I’m open,” Alec said calmly. Jace could tell he was trying to figure out what he was going to say.

 

“Clary’s stepdad Luke, who is like a super nice guy. Whenever I meet him, I like him more and more and um… he’s a great cook and…”

 

“Jace, stop. Your mumbling, get to the point,” Alec interjected.

 

He let out a breath before continuing, “He’s a detective with the major crimes unit.”

 

Jace felt a small amount of relief once he said it. Now he just had to see what Alec’s reaction would be.

 

“And?” Alec asked. “Is he plotting my demise or something?”

 

Jace chuckled nervously, “No, no… nothing like that… I just didn’t want you to think we were keeping this from you. It’s just that when I talked about Clary on the phone when you were inside, it just never seemed like a good time to bring it up. And then Clary told me we shouldn’t say anything until you got to like her better so that you wouldn’t hate her from the get-go.”

 

Alec took a sip of his drink before giggling himself. “Have you really been losing sleep over this? Man, I feel bad. I would never hate Clary… first off I think she is perfect for you… and second she seems like a sweet girl, I mean yea, we don’t have much in common but I can see how she fits right in with us.”

 

“You guys have stuff in common!” Jace retorted.

 

Alec raised his eyebrow, “Oh yeah, like what?”

 

“Um…well… you both…um,” Jace stuttered.

 

“Oh! You both like Magnus,” he said with a sly expression on his face.

 

Alec nodded and smirked, “Okay, you win. We have stuff in common.”

 

“I am serious though, I am really happy for you, Jace,” Alec added as he lifted his drink to cheers.

 

Jace knew he looked like an idiot with a huge smile on his face but he couldn’t help it. He was so relieved that Alec seemed to understand and that he was happy for him and Clary.

 

They spent another four rounds of drinks celebrating his announcement. He even asked him to be his best man which Alec had seemed even more excited about. He told him that there wouldn’t be anywhere else he’d rather be on his brother’s wedding day than at his side.

 

Jace wanted to be able to tell Clary the good news when he got home and not be passed out on the couch all night so he told Alec he was going to head home now.

 

They stood and embraced once more about the exciting news before Jace turned to head home.

 

“Jace, hold up,” Alec announced as he tried to get his attention at the door.

 

Jace stopped and headed back to his brother, unsure of why he was called back, “What’s up?”

 

“I’m just curious… why did you think I would care so much? About Luke, I mean,” Alec asked.

 

Jace hadn’t wanted to get into this tonight, because he knew it would be a damper on the evening. But because Alec asked he figured he would tell the truth.

 

“Because, Mom and Dad care… and I mean like really care. The first time I brought her over to their place for dinner with Izzy and Simon, Mom was like weirdly rude to Clary. And when I confronted them, they told me that being with someone like Clary was a traitorous act against our family, or some shit like that. I kinda blacked out I was so mad. I think at some point Dad even implied that Clary could be dating me so that she could leak information to him!”

 

Alec stepped forward and placed his hand firmly on Jace’s shoulder. “That’s bull shit, Jace. You should know better than to listen to them.”

 

“I know that, it’s just hard hearing that kind of stuff from your own family. And with you… it just all came back to me. I was just hoping you wouldn’t feel the same way because of your position in the Circle.”

 

Alec huffed, “Believe me, it’s a position that I wish I was no longer in so no worries there. I’m sorry, Jace. They should have never spoken to Clary that way.”

 

“Yea… I just wish it had all went down differ…,” Jace added before his mind short-circuited.

 

“Jace? You alright?” Alec asked as he shook him softly.

 

But Jace was not okay, “Fuck… I just realized that I still have to tell them about our engagement.”

 

Alec couldn’t help but chuckle, “Wait a minute, you just realized this?”

 

Jace pushed him back playfully, “It’s all your fault, I was too busy thinking about telling you that I didn’t even think about having to tell them.”

 

Luckily, Alec being the great big brother he was, pushed Jace out the door and called an Uber for him. “Let’s just get you home tonight and back to Clary. We can sort all of this out another day. Go home and get some sleep,” he added before getting him in the back of the car.

 

Jace smiled and waved at Alec on the street as the car drove off. He was so thankful every day to have Alec back in his life and tonight was just another one of the special memories he would have with him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

 

 

Magnus was putting the finishing touches on his look for the night. He went for a casual eye, and styled his hair nicely before putting on his dinner jacket and heading towards the living room to where Alec was sitting with Chairman Meow waiting for him.

 

Watching Alec cuddle with his cat was one of the sweetest things Magnus could ever see. The two took an instant liking to each other and Magnus would have it no other way.

 

Tonight was going to be a potentially stressful event for Alec and his family so all Magnus could do was be glad that he had been invited along for support. “Ready to go, darling?”

 

Alec rolled his eyes dramatically, “Are you sure you don’t mind coming? This is going to be a shit show,” he asked.

 

Magnus moved to sit next to Alec and stroked his leg, “You know I don’t. I’m happy to be there for you.”

 

Magnus and Alec were headed to the Lightwood’s house for dinner tonight. Jace and Clary were newly engaged and his parents insisted on having everyone to their home for dinner.

 

Magnus was shocked to hear that the Lightwoods didn’t like Clary, she was such a sweet girl, whom he had grown quite close with. It made him nervous about how they would perceive him. But it didn’t matter in the end because he was going because Alec had asked him to.

 

“All right come on, we need to leave now so we’re not late. I heard you promise Jace that you wouldn’t be late on the phone earlier,” Magnus said as he went to get up from the couch only to be pulled down by Alec’s hand again.

 

“Why don’t we tell them we both have the flu and then we can just stay here together,” Alec suggested playfully.

 

“Nice try, buddy,” Magnus replied as he padded Alec’s leg and stood again.

 

He told Alec that he would drive. Alec would likely need liquid courage to get through the evening so he didn’t mind being the sober one so that he could be more relaxed.

 

The drive was fairly quiet, Magnus had put on some soft background music and was just focusing on the road. He had his right arm resting in between the seats when he felt Alec’s hand snake its way through his own.

 

He smiled and looked over towards Alec and gave his hand a squeeze before turning back to the road. Magnus absolutely loved being with Alec and the small gestures like this one were making it hard for him to keep his feelings at bay.

 

But it was a hard situation to be in. He wanted to bring it up to Alec multiple times about being in a relationship but something always stopped him from doing so. He was afraid. He was afraid to push Alec away.

 

When they made it to the front door of the penthouse, Alec paused for a moment before entering. He gave Magnus’s hand a squeeze before dropping it and entering through the door.

 

Magnus knew he shouldn’t have been surprised at how beautiful the Lightwood’s home was but his jaw dropped anyway. Everything was as clean as a whistle, and the décor was modern and expensive. He knew right away if he needed an ice breaker he would ask about who decorated their lovely home.

 

They were greeted by an extremely put together woman who he could only assume was Alec’s mother. “Hello, Alec. How nice to see you again,” she said sort of coldly despite having a smile on her face.

 

“Hello, mother,” Alec replied before walking over to give her a hug. “This is Magnus,” he gestured towards him.

 

She turned towards Magnus and extended her hand, “Hello, so glad you could join us. Come in, everyone is already at the dinner table.”

 

Magnus smiled in return and headed towards the dining room following close to Alec’s side.

 

He watched as Alec made the rounds to his other family members, noting how Alec and his father gave a brisk handshake to each other instead of the warm embraces he was giving everyone else.

 

“Magnus, I was so happy when Alec said you were coming!” Izzy exclaimed from the other side of the table. She had also texted him earlier to make sure he was coming, explaining how Simon couldn’t make it. He had a work function to go and she’d have to brave the family alone is how she had described it.

 

“Me too, darling. It’s so nice when we get to see each other outside of work. And thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Lightwood for having me,” he said as he turned to address Alec’s parents at either head of the table.

 

Maryse smiled stiffly again, “Your welcome, Magnus.”

 

Magnus cringed when Robert Lightwood huffed from his seat, “It’s not like we were given much of a choice.”

 

As he was about to try and come up with something clever to say, Alec came to his aide.

 

“Dad, don’t start. Magnus is Izzy’s and my good friend and he is friends with Jace and Clary. He deserves to be here to celebrate their wonderful engagement announcement.”

 

Clary put her wine glass down that Magnus had noticed she was gulping down quickly, “I’m happy you are here too, Magnus.”

 

He smiled and bowed his head, “Thank you Clary, dear.”

 

To say the dinner was going well would be an understatement. The Lightwoods were “course” people so by the time they had gotten to the 3rdor 4thcourse Magnus was ready to bolt.

 

“So…when do you think this whole affair will go on, Jace?” Maryse asked, breaking the silence.

 

He put his knife and fork down softly, “Well…um… we were thinking a winter wedding would be nice. And here in the city somewhere for sure.”

 

Clary shifted in her seat, “And not too big. Maybe like 75-100 people.”

 

“That is small,” Robert exclaimed. “I figured you’d be having the whole police force in attendance,” he agitated.

 

“Dad, stop! Clary can’t help who her step-father is. He won’t be attending as a cop, he just wants to see his daughter get married for fuck-sake!”

 

Robert Lightwood stood instantly, “If you feel the need to curse in my household then you may leave, Jace. And if you feel the need to defend “cops” as you so say then you may leave as well. Cops have been trying to take us down for years, Jace. And I understand that you don’t get that because you chose to shy away from your destiny but myself, your mother and your brother all understand the very real consequences of the police force being anywhere near us.”

 

Magnus without meaning to shifted away from Robert’s presence, the man was frightening. He felt terrible for Jace and Clary. It’s not like they could help who their families were.

 

Poor Jace looked to be as white as ghost, he was about to answer when Alec stepped in for him. “I think you both are missing the point here. Clary’s step-father deserves to be a part of her wedding, she was just telling me yesterday how excited he was to be walking her down the aisle. He is acting like the happy, excited father, that you two should be, not like someone who is ready to hand-cuff us all the minute we step inside the reception hall.”

 

“How can you joke about something like this, Alec. You just got out of prison and know you are going to act like this doesn’t bother you,” Maryse asked him.

 

Magnus tried his best to calm Alec down as his voice was beginning to rise. “My incarceration has nothing to do with the men who arrested me or the people that convicted me. My arrest was my own damn fault.”

 

Robert’s arms flew up in opposition, “Oh, here we go again with your high and mighty act, Alec. If you had just let us do our jobs, then you may have not had to serve time in the first place.”

 

Magnus could tell Alec was about to derail so he clutched his hand under the table and squeezed hoping it would ground him.

 

“You know what… let’s not dredge up the past tonight,” he pleaded with his parents.

 

After dinner, the group headed towards the living room for a drink. Being sober had been tougher than Magnus thought it would be as everyone else around him poured themselves glass after glass of wine generously.

 

Magnus was talking with Clary and Izzy in the corner when Robert suddenly stood to announce he was saying retiring for the evening.  

 

“Alec, can I see you in the study for a moment?” he added.

 

Alec was sitting in a leather chair on the other side of the room with a scotch in his hand. He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand before nodding to his father and joining him out the door.

 

Magnus looked around the room to see Maryse was missing as well from the group.

 

“Fuck… well, we knew this was coming at some point,” Jace said as he moved to sit next to Clary.

 

Magnus wasn’t sure what Jace had meant, “What? I don’t get it,” he asked.

 

“They exclude us so they can go talk shop with one another. They used to do it all the time when we were younger and still living at home.”

 

“Yea, but we're trying to get Alec away from all this. We should have told them we couldn’t stay for drinks and just left as a group after dinner,” Jace muttered.

 

Magnus hadn’t meant for Alec to get pulled away, he was supposed to be his support tonight, and he should have tried to stop him from leaving.

 

It couldn’t have been more than 15 minutes before Alec came stalking out of the hallway as tense as a person could be. “We’re leaving now,” he announced sternly, making everyone jump up and grab their bags.

 

“You okay, man?” Jace asked.

 

“No,” Alec said simply as he grabbed a hold of Magnus’s hand and headed towards the entrance.

 

They were almost to the door when Robert appeared before them. “Alec, you’re acting childish. We need to discuss this.”

 

Magnus tried his best to keep Alec moving but he turned to address his father once more. “How dare you. You made me believe that you supported me for years, but I guess I finally know the truth. We’re leaving, there really isn’t anything more I want to say to you two.”

 

Magnus could tell Alec was hurting. He wasn’t sure what had been said away from his presence, but whatever it was it couldn’t have been good. He hated seeing Alec so upset, he spent the drive back to Magnus’s apartment with his hand over his eyes.

 

“Alexander?” Magnus said, once the car was in park. “Do you want to stay over?”

 

Alec looked up at him and nodded before getting out of the car and heading upstairs. He still hadn’t said anything when he entered the apartment but he sat down on the couch and took off his boots.

 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Magnus asked softly as he stood next to the couch. “Or another drink, perhaps?”

 

He cleared his throat, “Uh…yea thanks. That’d be great.”

 

Magnus went over to his drink cart and made them both something strong yet sweet. He handed one to Alec and sipped on the other himself. He was so glad to finally be home where he could also start to unwind from the evening.

 

It took Alec another drink before he started talking again. He had been sitting quietly after asking Magnus to lay down in his lap so that he could play with his hair. Alec was the only person Magnus had ever let play with his hair before.

 

“They told me they found me a wife,” he mumbled.

 

“What?” Magnus exclaimed as he tried to sit up only to be pushed back down by Alec.

 

Alec's fingers went back into stroking Magnus’s skull before he began again. “My father said that it was time for me to settle down. He asked me if I had ever thought about Lydia Branwell as more than just a friend.”

 

Alec took a moment to explain to Magnus who Lydia was. Magnus learned that she was a young woman from a respected family within the Circle that he had known for some time.

 

“I was obviously shocked and when I asked him if he remembered that I was gay, he told me that it was time for me to be done with that phase of my life.”

 

“Oh my… I’m so sorry, darling. That can’t be easy to hear.”

 

Alec huffed, “They fucking used me, Magnus. When I was 16, I went to my father and told him that I was gay. And he told me he was proud of me and that it was okay. He said that being a good man was about doing your duty and that as long as I followed the right path, I was a good person.”

 

Alec moved to wipe the tears in his eyes, “They made me think they were proud of me for coming out when they actually used it to manipulate me further into all this shit!” he shouted.

 

Magnus lifted up and turned so that he was facing Alec. “You are a good person, Alexander. You are sweet, you have siblings who think the world of you and your parent’s approval isn’t going to change that.”

 

“I know… I guess I just wish things went differently in my life. I had a lot of time in prison to think of the ways in which my parents manipulated me into being who I was and it just hurts to discover even more.”

 

Magnus had moved Alec to the bedroom after having yet another drink. He had finally seemed to have his fill as he was getting sleepier and slurring his words a bit.

 

He plopped Alec onto the bed and removed his shirt and pants. It took him some time to move him up and under the covers as he was dead weight under Magnus’s arms.

 

Magnus then moved over to the bathroom, all he could think about was how much he wanted to wash this night off of him.

 

But he paused momentarily when he heard Alec reveal something that made his heart melt even more.

 

“No…I onlyyy want to bee with Magnus, no oneee else,” Alec mumbled softly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
